The funeral of 38-year-old policeman Filippo Raciti who was killed by rioting football fans took place in Sicily today.
A soccer-mad nation which only seven months ago celebrated a World Cup victory was stunned by the outcome of riots at a derby between rival Sicilian teams Catania and Palermo on Friday, in which the policeman died and over 70 people were injured.
A firecracker which exploded in Raciti's face was initially considered the cause of death, though a prosecutor said an autopsy showed it was due to a blow from a blunt object.
Raciti's coffin, draped in the Italian flag, was driven through the packed streets of Catania on Monday to the cathedral, with thousands of onlookers solemnly applauding in a customary sign of respect.
Throughout the country, Italians paused, with Rome's main airport suspending all check-ins for a minute of silence. The Catholic funeral service, presided over by the city's archbishop, was broadcast live on national television.
Pope Benedict, in a message of condolence sent by the Vatican secretary of state, expressed his ‘firm condemnation for any act of violence that stains the world of soccer’.
Prime Minister Romano Prodi told Raciti's widow and two children that his death had ‘shocked and moved Italy’.
‘To die on a day of celebration, during a sporting event that dozens of criminals transformed into a guerrilla war, is, if possible, even more absurd,’ Prodi said.
Raciti was the 13th person to be killed in or around Italy's football stadiums since 1962. The last fatality at a Serie A match happened in 1995 when a Genoa fan was stabbed to death before a game against AC Milan.
UEFA President Michel Platini said his organisation would give full backing to any security measures proposed by Italy's football federation, as it prepares its bid for the 2012 European soccer championships.
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), at an emergency meeting on Sunday, urged clubs to break off all relations with violent fans and said stadiums which fail to adopt tough measures could be banned from staging games next season.
