Italian police in heavy-handed attacks on English football fans shocker (Roma vs Man Utd)

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5th, April 2007

6 Comments

When trouble kicks off at an English side’s European away match, the one thing you can always be sure of is that an army of baton-wielding uniformed thugs looking like Star Wars Stormtroopers’ navy blue cousins will be around to crack a few heads open. Look how effectively this prostrate Manchester United fan is subdued at last night’s match against Roma. UPDATE According to the BBC, eleven Man Utd fans were taken to hospital after last night’s violence.


[Via 101GreatGoals, Rob Parker]

Posted in Man Utd

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6 Comments

  1. Ollie, Pies Ed. says:
    April 5, 2007 at 12:46 pm

    Disgraceful scenes. Makes you appreciate our police force more.

  2. jorge says:
    April 5, 2007 at 1:44 pm

    I have seen this before on the same stadium when I lived in Italy for a couple of years.
    In 1997 when England played Italy, the italian fans began throwing all types of stuff at the english fans. As soon as an english responded the police charged and start bitting english fans indiscrimately just like yesterday.
    Although they had done nothing to justify it english fans were insulted by all the press as thugs and drunks. The press never accused the police of having done anything wrong, and there was not a second thought to the fact that the italian fans were left untouched.
    Quite the contrary, to justify the actions of the italian police, the days after the game, english fans were portrayed has a bunch of drunk hooligans.
    As the reaction from the Roma mayor showed before the game there is a lot of nationalism and regionalism in Italy mix this with the appropriate amounts of xenophobia and anti-english prejudice and this is what you get.
    The problem will never be solved from within, the media and politicians are unable to any level of self-criticism mainly when it makes them look bad. The english clubs, fans and government should take a hard stand on this issue because I doubt UEFA will ever do it without any outside pressure.

  3. Nicky S says:
    April 5, 2007 at 3:06 pm

    I don’t doubt that the Italian police were heavy-handed and unnecessarily violent, however I would also question why this trouble seems to have followed Man Utd this season?

  4. Jorge says:
    April 5, 2007 at 3:33 pm

    There are two common denominators.
    Manchester United fans and heavy handed and indiscriminated treatment by the police.
    The police are there to solve the problem but in some instances they are part of the problem and I think this was the case in these last two events.
    Just look at the images and tell me who looks like a bunch of wild animals.

  5. Em says:
    April 6, 2007 at 12:17 am

    Way I hear it says that the crowd was beggining to sounds off as Roma fans were throwing all sorts of rubbish at them. All credit to United here, I’m sure that opposing supporters are moe than ready to start a brawl (We Are the Pride of Europe is an infuriating song), but it’s not made it back to Old Trafford thusfar. That’s something. Lens is a tiny mining town, there police force there were in over their heads and panicked. Rome… Rome is not famous for keeping footballers or fans safe.
    I can’t wait to see the war. Really, they aught to just have Platini in one corner and Thompson or Prince William or a suitable champion (Roy Keane?) in another corner. Suss it out oldschool like.

  6. joe says:
    April 6, 2007 at 5:19 pm

    Manchester Police ought to return the favor.