Inter face explusion after night of shame

Published on Thursday 14 April 2005 01:13

INTERNAZIONALE’S shameful record of hooligan activity means the famous Italian club is in danger of becoming the first team to be kicked out of the Champions League.

UEFA’s control and disciplinary body will meet tomorrow to pass judgment on the derby quarter-final at the San Siro which was abandoned after 73 minutes after AC Milan’s goalkeeper Dida was struck and burned by a flare thrown during a barrage of missiles from Inter fans.

The disciplinary panel will look at the club’s record over the previous five years and take into account that in 2001 Inter were ordered to play two European home matches away from the San Siro and fined 35,000 after similar crowd trouble at their UEFA Cup tie with the Spanish side Alaves.

There is a precedent for expulsion too after Fiorentina, another Italian club, were thrown out of the UEFA Cup in 1998 after a home-made explosive device hurled from the crowd during the match against Swiss side Grasshopper injured the fourth official and caused the match to be abandoned.

One very senior UEFA figure said yesterday: "My guess is that Internazionale are close to being expelled from next season’s competition and will need some very powerful mitigating factors to avoid such a ban."

Inter, currently third in SerieA, were 1-0 down on the night and 3-0 behind on aggregate, so there appears little doubt that AC Milan will go through to the semi-final.

William Gaillard, UEFA’s communications director, said: "The disciplinary body have the full range of sanctions at their disposal, but the panel is independent and one cannot predict their decisions. There have been several shocking incidents recently but this is the worst. We must make sure it doesn’t happen again."

The disciplinary body will meet at noon and will decide on the result of the game and any possible ban, suspension or fine related to the crowd disorder. UEFA could order the second leg to be replayed or just the last 17 minutes, but precedent suggests AC Milan will be awarded victory and Inter handed a very heavy fine or a suspension and a banning order.

The latest incident has caused much soul-searching in Italy where football-related violence refuses to go away.

Roma received a two-match stadium ban and heavy fine after referee Anders Frisk was hit by a missile in September, while there was crowd trouble at several games at the weekend, including Lazio fans waving swastikas and fascist banners during the match against Livorno.

There was also trouble in the San Siro during last month’s World Cup qualifying match between Italy and Scotland when Italian fans armed with sticks and chains fought with each other and riot police during the second half. David Taylor, the Scottish Football Association chief executive, described the scenes on the terraces as the worst he had witnessed in 20 years.

Three years ago Inter had a domestic stadium ban imposed by SerieA officials after ‘ultras’ hurled a scooter from the second tier of the San Siro.

Tuesday’s violence led to Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, authorising the use of "drastic measures" to crack down on the hooliganism. Berlusconi, who also owns AC Milan, met interior minister Giuseppe Pisanu, and issued a statement through his office warning: "There is a clear risk of even more serious incidents in future, a risk which must be avoided by all possible means.

"Premier Berlusconi urged the interior minister to maintain the firm line that has been taken for some time, with particular reference to preventative measures. However, resorting to the most drastic measures available should not be ruled out if necessary."

Carlo Ancelotti, the AC Milan coach, believes the abandoned derby has "damaged the image of the city of Milan". He said: "I have never seen anything like it, and it’s not only Inter who will pay but the city of Milan. I believe that it’s a question of a lack of education and culture."

Umberto Gandini, the Milan secretary, added: "It was an ugly night for Italian football and for the city of Milan. It will be difficult to clean the image of the Milan stadium, the Milan supporters and the city in general, but I think a penalty is deserved and I think Inter people know they deserve a penalty. I think they will be obliged to play behind closed doors for a few matches," said Gandini, adding that he did not want Inter kicked out of European competition.

German referee Markus Merk took the players off the pitch after Dida was struck by one of dozens of flares thrown down from the stands following a headed goal from Inter’s Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso being disallowed.

Dida received medical treatment to his shoulder while Inter players urged their fans to stop hurling objects on to the pitch.

The goal frame disappeared in clouds of smoke as flares continued to rain down on the pitch. The players came back out after 25 minutes but Merk took them off again just 30 seconds following the restart and abandoned the game when more flares came down with no sign of intervention from the police.

UEFA also said yesterday that AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko will not be charged for an apparent head-butt on Inter defender Marco Materazzi. He could have faced a ban that would have ruled him out of both legs of the semi-finals and the final. "It appeared that the incident occurred in front of the assistant referee, who did not indicate anything to referee Merk," UEFA said in a statement. Shortly after the incident, Shevchenko scored.