Azzurri squad named amid anarchy in Italy

Published on Monday 12 November 2007 00:18

SIX days before Italy's biggest match since the World Cup final, coach Roberto Donadoni was forced to name his squad for the Azzurri's vital Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland at Hampden against a backdrop of chaos after the death of a Lazio fan led to three matches in Serie A being called off yesterday.

An Italian police officer accidentally shot dead football fan Gabriele Sandri while trying to break up a clash with supporters of another club at a motorway rest stop, a police chief said.

Arezzo Police Chief Vincenzo Giacobbe said the officer intervened in a scuffle between two groups of people.

"I express deep sorrow and sincere condolences to the family of the victim," Giacobbe said, describing the incident as "a tragic error".

Sandri, a 26-year-old disc jockey from Rome, was hit in the neck by a bullet while in a car at the rest area along the A1 near the town of Arezzo, about 125 miles north of Rome. The fans were heading to Lazio's match at Inter Milan, which was later called off as a mark of respect.

Sandri's brother, Cristiano Sandri, gestured angrily as he yelled "they killed my brother." Flanking him as he got into a car was a man described by Sky TG24 TV as the family's lawyer, who repeatedly said that the shooting amounted to "first-degree murder".

Yesterday afternoon's other games started ten minutes late, with players and referees wearing black armbands, but the match between Atalanta and AC Milan in Bergamo was abandoned after seven minutes of play, with the score 0-0, because of crowd disturbances. Atalanta fans had demanded the game be postponed as a mark of respect. When that was denied, they took matters into their own hands, trying to break through a barrier and storm their way on to the field. Atalanta captain Cristiano Doni went over to try to calm the volatile fans but to no avail, and both sets of players left the field. After a meeting with national security officials, AS Roma's late match against visiting Cagliari was also postponed. Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri said: "The death of the young fan is an immense tragedy."

Clashes between gangs of rival fans at rest stops are a worrying but sadly commonplace occurrence in Italy.

Premier Romano Prodi was attending Mass when he was informed by Italy's interior minister about the death. He described the fan violence as "very worrisome".

In Rome, hundreds of angry fans raided the headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI).

An angry mob had turned up at the Stadio Olimpico first, some of them armed with stones and sticks, and attacked one of the police units in the vicinity of the stadium before raiding the CONI building itself.

The CONI security guards, who were unarmed, had to barricade themselves inside the building while waiting for back-up.

Last season, a policeman was killed in riots following a game between Palermo and Catania in Sicily. Under new anti-violence measures this season, some fans have been barred from travelling to games.

The Italian game, already rocked by the punishments meted out to top teams such as Fiorentina and Juventus deemed to have been involved in a match-fixing scandal, came close to meltdown, with parliamentarians demanding radical action such as a total shutdown of the game until the problems were resolved.

Tragically, there have been other such incidents besmirching the recent history of the Italian game.

In 2004, the derby between AS Roma and Lazio was suspended three minutes into the second half when a false rumour spread through the stadium that police had killed a boy outside the stadium, sparking riots.

Donadoni went ahead as planned yesterday with his squad announcement, with Juventus forward Raffaele Palladino receiving a surprise first call-up to the Italy squad for the Group B qualifying matches in Scotland on Saturday and at home to the Faroes on Wednesday week. Palladino's Juve team-mate Alessandro Del Piero, 33, and AC Milan forward Filippo Inzaghi, 34, were again ignored by the national coach after he left them out of his last squad for a qualifier, citing their age.

The world champions are third in Group B, one point behind Scotland and two behind leaders France. A defeat in Glasgow would make life difficult for the Italians, who would then have to win against the Faroes and hope Ukraine beat France at home the same night in order to go through.

Palladino, 23, has operated as winger of late for Juventus and his flexibility has appealed to Donadoni, who will face calls to resign if Italy do not make it to the finals in Austria and Switzerland next year. In-form AC Milan striker Alberto Gilardino was included after being left out of recent squads while Juve striker Vincenzo Iaquinta is fit to return after skipping the 2-0 win over Georgia last month through injury.

Captain Fabio Cannavaro is back from suspension and fellow defender Gianluca Zambrotta has been called up after recovering from an ankle problem but Donadoni has taken no other risks in an experienced defence and midfield. World Cup winner Marco Materazzi is not fit after two months out with a thigh problem.