Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Stadium ban for Catania for rest of season


After last weeks riot in Sicily during and after a derby soccer match between Catania and Palermo (the equivalent of Rangers/Islanders). Catania has been banned to play the rest of the season under closed doors. No supporters are to attend any home match. With that said I hope everyone understands the passion of fans for soccer around world. It may not be big here in the states, but my god to riot over a handball goal is pretty awesome. Now thats passion. So next time when your at a baseball game (or football, or basketball, or hockey) just clap your hands to the generic scoreboard fanfare and think about the fanfare, riots, and hooliganism that goes on around the world with the sport of futbol. It is much crazier than any fanfare in this country. If you do not agree do not mock it until you attend an actual futbal game (not MLS, even with Beckham). Here is the rest of the article on the Catania banishment:

ROME, Feb 14 (Reuters)
Catania have been ordered to play the rest of their home matches this season at neutral venues and behind closed doors as punishment for the violence that killed a policeman at a Serie A match this month.
The ban on the Massimino Stadium, which was handed down by the disciplinary committee of the Italian Football League on Wednesday, will last until June 30.
Catania were also fined 50,000 euros ($65,270).
Italian policeman Filippo Raciti was killed outside the ground during rioting by hard-core ultra fans at the Sicilian derby with Palermo on Feb. 2.
A statement on the Football League's Web site said the ban reflected 'the gravity of the events and the real danger posed by these acts of violence' that had left an 'indelible mark in the memory and the collective consciousness'.
The punishment also took into consideration 'the absolute uselessness of sanctions already inflicted on Catania for previous acts of violence by its supporters.'
Last September the club was fined and ordered to play two matches behind closed doors after its fans fought with supporters of Messina and Palermo.
The club's chief executive attacked the severity of ban, saying the sentence would 'bring the city to its knees'.
'It was clear that our responsibility was limited by the fact that the violence happened outside the ground,' Italy's ANSA news agency quoted Pietro Lo Monaco as saying.
Catania's next two Serie A matches - against Fiorentina on Feb. 18 and Inter Milan on Feb. 25 - are home fixtures.
The Football League said it would announce the venue for both games later this week.

1 comment:

Young James said...

I guess I'm never allowed to mock it.