Hooliganism, Azzurri, and more.

So I picked a right bad week to be on a Caribbean island with spotty internet activity, apparently. At least it seemed that way until I returned to the frozen tundra of Chicago. At any rate, there is not much that can be said that hasn’t already about the tragedy of Filipo Raciti. I’m not sure if the FIGC, the Olympic Committee or anybody else can stop the violence in the short term with any “measures”. The fact is, this is a cultural issue, a problem that has to be addressed aggressively but in ways that might not thrill traditional football fans.

For one, perhaps Italy should look toward England (as has been suggested elsewhere) and study everything from stadium upgrades (restaurants, museums, and other ‘entertainment’ aspects) to to traffic control and more video/police activity. It does no good to have cameras, tickets with pictures, or scheme revocation if you don’t actually DO anything with it. I shiver at the idea of turning stadiums into playgrounds for the prawn-eaters, but the facts are facts– the current ticketholders have some really really bad apples screwing it up for the majority. The culture has to change.

If you’re wondering what measures have been taken before, Here’s a nice recap from Ansa.

As for the Azzurri, the friendly with Romania slated for tomorrow was canceled, obviously. Italy will not play again until March in the qualifer against Scotland, I believe. For a team learning its way under Donadoni and struggling to get pace in the Euro qualifiers, this is a bit of a disaster.

And now what for the country’s championship? Only 4 of 12 Serie A stadiums meet the agreed upon security requirements. San Siro is not one of them, so the effect of playing behind closed doors could add an interesting twist once Serie A returns. But a Milano derby with no fans is no derby at all, and that’s sort of the whole point in all this– the game needs to be given back to the fans, the REAL fans, and the thugs need to be bottled up and shipped out.