Italians announce new football proposals
Tuesday, 6 February 2007 13:03Italy's government has announced tough new security measures for the country's football stadiums in the wake of a policeman's death during a riot at a Serie A match between Catania and Palermo.
The measures will become law if approved at a meeting of the Italian cabinet on Wednesday and could lead to closed-door matches.
The new measures will include a ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans to avoid large groups of visiting supporters organising trips to away fixtures.
A toughening-up of the system of banning orders currently used against violent fans will also be introduced.
Fans can now be banned from stadiums without being found guilty of any offence. They can also be used against under-18s. Those subject to stadium bans must undertake 'socially useful' work during the hours when matches are being played.
The police will be given powers to make football violence-related arrests without a warrant up to 48 hours after a crime has been committed - extending the current limit by 12 hours.
The law would also introduce a ban on any financial or working relationship between clubs and fan associations.
Authorities will also demand clubs conform to the existing Pisanu Law, introduced last year and aimed at curbing the worst excesses of violence in the country's stadiums. Most Italian clubs, however, do not own their stadiums and have refused to implement the law, arguing that the city councils who own the venues should pay for the work.
The main points of the Pisanu law are: numbered seating, electronic turnstiles that are activated by a ticket, close-circuit TV surveillance inside and outside the stadium, transparent barriers that separate different sectors of the stadium and home fans from away fans, a dedicated area for the police to oversee security, and one first-aid point for every 10,000 fans.
Stadiums with a capacity under 10,000 were exempt from the Pisanu law. Under the new regulations, smaller grounds would also have to conform to the law.
