Death Could Lead To Drastic Changes In Italy, But Don't Hold Your Breath

As police officer Filippo Raciti was laid to rest today, we here at SMiA are trying to get a handle on what soccer in Italy is going to look like in the coming weeks. Reports out of Italy are that all of the heavy hitters (politicos and sport/soccer administrators) will meet tomorrow to discuss the current situation and decide on where to go next. As you might already know, all soccer in Italy has been suspended indefinitely after Friday night's events. For a complete rundown on what's going on, and who and what is affected, visit Italian Calcio. They have the news updated through this morning.

After the Calciopoli scandal, I have my doubts as to how forceful the authorities will come down on the clubs and those deemed responsible for breeding an atmosphere where these kind of incidences can occur. Italy's track record isn't very strong in this department, but I hope they prove me wrong.

Reaction to the violence in Sicily, and the ensuing tragic death, has come from every corner of Italy:

Fabio Capello: "I don't think you can see anything worse than what I saw yesterday on TV. As an Italian, I am ashamed. Something is going on with football in my country. This is a sport and in my country it has nothing to do with a sport." [Soccer365]


Italian Players' Association President Sergio Campana: "I think that faced with these events, football should stop for a year and see if we can change our whole approach to sport. We have for some time been pointing out that there are weekly attacks on players because they lose a game. This means the very culture of sport in this country is wrong. Right when football is trying to rediscover its credibility after Calciopoli, this sort of thing leaves us dumbfounded." [Channel 4]

Michel Platini: "Following the death of a Paris Saint-Germain FC supporter last year and the rioting of Feyenoord fans in Nancy, this latest episode further deepens our concern about violence creeping back into the game. We must now work together with the Italian football authorities and politicians in support of the Italian game, and find a solution to this spiral of violence that is plaguing European football." [UEFA official site]

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi: "I feel it my duty to say we need a strong and clear signal to avoid the degeneration of sport, which unfortunately we are forced to witness with increasing intensity." [Channel 4]

Roberto Donadoni: "At the end of the day, we are all far too good at preaching for change, but every time fail to implement the necessary laws. We have wasted a lot of time and it cannot happen again." [Channel 4]

Marcello Lippi: "The priority ought to be not for a comfortable stadium, but a safe one. Let's not joke here, prevention and repression are the only systems, just like the English. We need to get the first one to throw even his chewing gum on to the pitch and lock him in prison." [Channel 4]

-ac