Milan

What a disgrace at the San Siro. How do these clowns manage to get half a warehouse worth of flares into the stadium? How can security be so lax for a Champions League derby in a country that's had plenty of trouble already this year? Hopefully they will just declare AC Milan the winner and move on.

 

The Italian Serie A has been steadily declining over the past couple seasons and most of the reasons for that is because of idiotic fans doing things like what happened yesterday.

Earlier this season it was Anders Frisk getting hit in the head by a flare at Roma in the Champions League and now this. In addition to the on field incidents, there are some clubs in financial hell like Parma and Roma that need some backing quickly.

Anyways, there are a few good teams in Italy, but incidents like these are completely scarring the Italian leagues. AC should move on and whomever threw the flare or flares, should never be let into another game ever again.

 

That was crazy. The guilty parties should be banned for life in addition to any legal or criminal punishment.

Security was probably lax in Milan because all of UEFA's people were in Munich looking for secret communication devices in Chelsea staffers' hats.

It will be interesting to see how the Juventus-Liverpool match goes today. There will be plenty of tension in that one. Will the supporters be shocked at the events in Milan and behave, or will they be inspired to further violence? I think an enormous police presence will limit the trouble.

 

I am embarressed to be a football fan....especially when so many of us are good guys/gals. This website demonstrates everything that is great about football...how complete strangers can become friends - sometimes never even meeting each other. I am very melancholy about the whole thing.

What's really scary is this quote from the BBC site...its from the fcuking chief of counter-terrorism chief who has to spend his valuable time worrying about so-called football fans instead of actual terrosists.

Italian counter-terrorism chief Giuseppe Petronzi told BBC Radio Five Live that police were ready and prepared to deal with "the highest level of risk" in Turin. "We have reason for concern, but I'm confident we can manage the situation," he added.

Having said all that, my sister is a 'dirty' scouser so I hope for her sake that Liverpool win. Personally I have never forgiven them for making me cry at a league cup match when I was 14...the 10-0 humiliation was just too much to take for a pimply teen.

 

Some good insight from BBC website on the incident. It's clearly time for the Italian authorities to crack down on this nonsense. It sounds like their laissez-faire attitude has emboldened these jerks. Hope for a peaceful outcome tonight.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/footbal ... 439601.stm

 

Pretty soon all sports will be played inside cages separating the fans from the field... Between the joys of what happened in Detroit in the NBA, the excessive celebrations in college sports and the Euro (and African, Asian, etc.) football events, it's a wonder that they even allow fans into sporting events at all anymore.

Lifetime bans for all of them. Keep out the bad eggs and the good ones will enjoy in peace and harmony. Of course, then it's a slippery slope of what consitutes bannable behaviour. Is it cut off at throwing things? interfering with play by running on the field? post-game celebrations? yelling obscenities (my personal favorite)? Legislating fan behaviour is nearly impossible because there will always be a line to be toed but not crossed... and eventually someone will get ticked off and move the line again further restricting what can be (at least the yelling obscenities part) an enjoyable part of sporting events.

Grrr... ranting has got me all fired up...

 

Anything beyond expressing your opinion vocally (whether that be obscenely or not) should constitute in a ban. Its easy really - if you throw anything/fight anyone you should be kicked out and never be able to return. And that goes for players too - ie Cantona, basketball players etc. If UEFA does not ban Inter for at least 2 seasons, then they will become an even bigger laughing stock than they are. Its getting a bit like steriods and baseball....no-one wants to grab the problem by the balls do the dirty work.

Vote NJGlen for Comissioner of World Football and judge of the moral high ground. After all, I can be bribed as well as anyone. In fact, perhaps I'll even agree to hold the winter olympics in Utah where you can't buy a friggin beer but you can have 10 wives. Imagine, ten wives and no alcohol. Doersn't bare thinking about.

OK - rant over. Does anyone want to borrow my soap box?

 

If you want to get an understanding about what all of this violence is about, just simply start reading about the 'ultras'. For those of you that do not know, the ultras are the super hardcore Italian fans who are the ones that start the torch throw, coin flinging or other violent act against players/personell.

AC Milan has 'ultras', AS Roma has 'ultras'. They should be commended for their passion for the sport but they should be arrested for acts like these where, in my opinion, they are terrorists.

I know from personal experience, while playing footy in Italy during 1999, I spent alot of time around so-called 'ultras', who were fans of Fiorentina. They are radicals for the sport, its too bad they resort to this type of crap...I could go on and on about the 'ultras' but I will stop there.

Thank you for the soap box Glen...