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Italy's sports and interior ministers met with top soccer and sports administrators on Monday (5th February), to discuss long-term measures to curb increasing football violence within the country. The Italian soccer federation postponed all matches over the weekend following rioting at the Sicilian derby match between Catania and Palermo, which left one policeman dead. Interior Minister Giuliano Amato told a media conference in Rome that fans will not be allowed into stadiums in Italy unless security measures are met. Soccer fans won't be allowed into stadiums in Italy unless security measures are met, the country's interior minister told a media conference in Rome on Monday. The decision comes only days after riots broke out during and after a Serie A match in Sicily in which a police officer was killed - Italian authorities immediately cancelled all the weekend's fixtures, including Italy's international friendly with Romania scheduled for Wednesday 7th February. Interior Minister Giuliano Amato also said that clubs will not be able to sell blocks of tickets to visiting fans in order to control who enters the stadium. These proposals and others will be presented for approval at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Amato said. "When stadiums will be opened again, fans will be allowed only in those stadiums that meet security measures. The other stadiums will be allowed to host football matches, but behind closed doors until they meet security measures. I am inflexible on this point. I said I won't send anybody to risk their life again in such stadiums as Catania's.": Giuliano Amato, Italian Interior Minister. Amato added that it was the responsibility of everyone to act to protect the future of Italy's national game. "The penalties (for violent fans) will need to be strengthened. The duty (for violent fans) to sign at the police station, which still allows them to go the stadium, will have to become a duty to carry out a social service, like cleaning off graffiti, cleaning the toilets.": Giuliano Amato, Italian Interior Minister. The government will also present a separate proposal for more long-term changes, Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri said. "Our intention is to forbid any economic, financial or work relationship between teams and fans groups.": Giovanna Melandri, Italian Sports Minister. The economic implications of not allowing a quick return to play could be huge. During the 2004-05 season, AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan and AS Roma generated more than 770 (m) million euro (1 (b) billion US dollars) through match-day receipts, broadcasting deals, sponsorship, and merchandising. And the Italian government itself has a substantial vested interest in football. Other measures in the government's decree to be approved on Wednesday include allowing authorities to keep suspected hooligans away from stadiums even if they have not committed a crime, Amato said. If approved, the decree will take immediate effect but will have to be approved by parliament to remain in effect. Other measures intended to deal with hooliganism in Italy include barring clubs from having economic ties with fan groups and putting the clubs in charge of the stadiums, charging their stewards with guaranteeing security inside and involving them in the ownership of the sports arenas, which so far are owned by local authorities, she said. According to a report published on Monday in Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport, only four stadiums used by clubs in the Serie A currently satisfy the safety norms - the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, the Artemio Franchi stadium in Siena, and the Renzo Barbera stadium in Palermo. San Siro, the stadium shared by AC Milan and Inter Milan, currently does not meet the criteria. Agipronews, a news agency specialising in the betting market, estimates that the Italian government receives 3.1 (m) million euro (4 (m) million US dollars) in tax revenues from legal betting each weekend from soccer in Italy's top three divisions.
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