Safety First

Against the wishes of many, the Italian government approved new measures that they hope will curb the type of violent incidences that were on display last Friday in Sicily. As was reported yesterday, soccer will resume this weekend, to what extent, it remains to be seen. These are the new rules that will govern calcio:

• There will be no evening kick-offs in February, all games must be played in the afternoon
• Supporters will be banned from possession of flares, smoke bombs, or firecrackers up to 24 hours before and after a sporting event
• Clubs are urged to create a staff of stewards to police the fans, and there will be heavy fines if they employ someone with a criminal record for this role
• Suspected hooligans can now be arrested 48 hours after the incident rather than the current 36, while the prison sentence for resisting arrest is raised to a minimum of five years and a maximum of 15
• A ban on the block sale of tickets to away fans
• Tickets must feature the buyer's name and the seat in the ground where they must sit
  
• A beefing-up of stadium bans for those involved in violence at grounds
• A ban on financial or working relationships between clubs and fan associations
• Stadiums which are not in line with security regulations will remain closed to fans
• Journalists are asked to set a code of ethics that they will police themselves so as to not inflame public opinion around sporting events
  

The Italian FA will present a list of up-to-scratch stadiums on Thursday morning. Only four grounds are believed to fully comply with the law: Rome's Olympic Stadium,Turin's Olympic Stadium, Palermo's Stadio Barbera, and Siena's Stadio Artemio Franchi. Sampdoria, Cagliari, Empoli, Messina, Parma, and Reggina should be able to play in front of their home crowds as well, as their stadiums are within reach of meeting the required standards. Ascoli, Atalanta, Catania, Chievo Verona, and Udinese, on the other hand, look set to play behind closed doors as their grounds are far from satisfying the requirements.

As expected, there has been plenty of criticism to the government's new rules of operation. The presidents of Serie A and Serie B clubs have worked themselves into a tizzy over it. Quite understandably, they are worried about the prospect of empty stadiums and the loss of revenue. The clubs that won't be playing in front of fans want a uniform decision made for all stadiums: either every team plays, or no one does.

As noted above, a special government committee will carry out a check at every Serie A stadium tomorrow before deciding which is fit to host matches with spectators. This will be especially important to Milan, Inter, Livorno, and Parma, all of whom have European matches in the next couple of weeks.

Italy approves tough new plan, matches to resume [Guardian Unlimited]
Serie A and B resume on Sunday [Channel 4]
Clubs - All or nothing! [Channel 4]

-ac