Watch Italy...

[CRSvideo]

People interested in players that could possibly be aquired using DP slots should keep an eye on what's going on in Italy. A large riot that resulted in the death of a policeman and over 100 people injured is having officials there calling for extream measures to be taken in the Italian leagues. The season has been put on hold with no timetable set yet for when it might return. News is too current for such a timetable to be determined, but there are people calling for the league to be suspended for a full year. We'll see what is determined when the dust settles.

I have to say, I'm very saddened by the news. Fiorentina out of Florence are my first team in football/soccer (followed them before MLS - well as much as an American could follow a foreign team back in those pre-World Wide Web days). Sucks for the Italian game (not to mention those who were injured in the situation). But thought that some of you hear might want to keep tabs on it. There's a lot of top quality talent that might be looking for a place to play soon (that's if we can work fitting a second DP under the cap if the current rumors about us being cap-strapped are true).

[CbR]

i saw a leaky boat made out of old tires and wooden boards filled with pro italian soccer players floating into NY harbor this morning

[metx]

i saw a leaky boat made out of old tires and wooden boards filled with pro italian soccer players floating into NY harbor this morning

REFUGEES ARE COMING ...REFUGEES ARE COMING

Well in that case, they will work for minimun wages, why to spend a DP on them..

[FuzzyForeigner]

ok, i hope i do not ocme across as racist or anything, but I have lived 20 years out of my young 24 in Italy. Precisely in Tuscany.

If you have ever lived in Italy you will be aware that people in the South( aka south of Rome and including the islands (Sardegna and Sicilia) ) are very backward thinking.

But without calling names or saying anything, I am definitely not surprised this happened. Not surprised at all.

Italian soccer may be world champion but their domestic leagues are in a sad sad state, reason for which I have stopped following italian soccer.

But guess what, I bet the fans that killed the cop are gonna get like 6 months probation knowing the italian justice system.

[j1mbr0wn]

It's a shame, really. I'm sure the majority of fans in Italy abhor violence. I hope they find a solution that works, because I'm sure they will open the doors back up soon. The league is too economically important to too many people.

[viper]

If you have ever lived in Italy you will be aware that people in the South( aka south of Rome and including the islands (Sardegna and Sicilia) ) are very backward thinking.

But without calling names or saying anything, I am definitely not surprised this happened. Not surprised at all.


I used to watch the Italian league every weekend, as it was one of the few leagues that could be followed on tv before Fox Soccer Channel or Goal Tv came into being. I used to tune in to Rai for a game on Sunday morning and then the 90 minuto highlights show at around noon (they even showed Serie B games every once in a while). It seemed to me there were always incidents. Just about every week you'd see riot police going into the stands to clash with very violent fans. This happened in the north as well as the south. I remember that one incident where a Genoa fan was stabbed to death before a Genoa vs AC Milan game back in 1995. That happened in Genoa, which is way in the north of Italy. I'm just saying that, in my opinion, your 'this happens in the south because they are backwards thinking' theory doesn't hold up.

[CRSvideo]

Though things have been pretty bad in Italy, its not like they're the only ones that have had fan violence. England went through a bad period not too long ago (though it seems to be much better now). And lets not forget our own incident last year at the DC match with the wannabes cracking a glass bottle over one of our fellow ny fans. It does seem though that in Italy its reached a tipping point that will require something drastic in order to make things safer again.

[Rooney20]

Seri A and B will not be suspended for long...i give it a week or two at the most.

[FuzzyForeigner]

i loved the show 90 Minuto "Novantesimo Minuto"

do any of you guys remember how 5-6 years back Inter fans dropped a friggin scooter on the heads of visiting fans down below in Meazza stadium?

[mookhead]

posted by FuzzyForeigner:
ok, i hope i do not ocme across as racist or anything, but I have lived 20 years out of my young 24 in Italy. Precisely in Tuscany.

If you have ever lived in Italy you will be aware that people in the South( aka south of Rome and including the islands (Sardegna and Sicilia) ) are very backward thinking.

But without calling names or saying anything, I am definitely not surprised this happened. Not surprised at all.

i loved the show 90 Minuto "Novantesimo Minuto"

do any of you guys remember how 5-6 years back Inter fans dropped a friggin scooter on the heads of visiting fans down below in Meazza stadium?

While I'm not on big soccer to start trouble, I find that your statement doesnt really hold true.

Inter is from Milan which is supposed to be the most fwd thinking city in Italy. That fact along with the fact that the incident in Genoa took place in the north, sure doesnt help out your southern Italy argument.

This happens all over Italy and it really needs to stop now. I'm hoping there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

[JBigjake]

Many southern Italians support one of the big northern clubs in addition to their local team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.C._Milan
"Historically, AC Milan was supported by the city's working classes and trade unionists (who generally used to be immigrants from Southern Italy)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventus#Supporters
"the club was highly supported by the immigrant workers from Italy's south, who arrived in Turin to work for FIAT since the third decade of twentieth century"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventus#Supporters

[mookhead]

posted by JBigjake:
Many southern Italians support one of the big northern clubs in addition to their local team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.C._Milan
"Historically, AC Milan was supported by the city's working classes and trade unionists (who generally used to be immigrants from Southern Italy)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventus#Supporters
"the club was highly supported by the immigrant workers from Italy's south, who arrived in Turin to work for FIAT since the third decade of twentieth century"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventus#Supporters

I know all of this. So are you saying that the Milan fan who stabbed the Genoa fan is from the south? And, that the Inter fans who threw the vespa on the first level from the second are from the South?? These incidents took place in the North I mean this is all silly. My point is that this happens all over Italy, It's not a southern thing. I hate the whole Southern Italian sterotype, especially in regards to the soccer fans. Violence in stadiums happens everywhere from Como in the North to Catania in the South.

[JBigjake]

I don't know if the attackers mentioned by you were ever identified. Even if they were, most likely they would have been living in the north at that time.
My point was more general. I tend to agree with you that this should not be a north/south thing. People are busy blaming southern Italians for violence. Others point out violent events in northern Italy. I simply pointed out that some fans in the north were originally from the south!
These arguments are not going to help anything. While soccer is extremely popular in Italy, there are undoubtedly many Italians who do not follow the sport. Tomorrow, half the USA will watch the Super Bowl, half won't even know what teams are playing. (In some cases, these groups will be in different rooms of the same house! :D) If violence occurs in South Florida tomorrow (& we all know how unlikely that is :D), I would not blame Northerners or Southerners. I would blame the idiots who did it.

[Red Card]

This was a heinous crime regardless of the identity of the victim, but it turns out that the victim was more than just an ordinary police officer. He was a Chief Inspector.

"The officer, 38-year-old Chief Inspector Filippo Raciti, died after an explosive device was thrown into his vehicle, police said."

I don't know what they should do, but they should do something more than just putting a band-aid on a cancer.

[RegginaFan1]

Guys,

This whole incident or past incidents are nothing short of tragic and disgusting. I have relatives and friends in Italian law enforcement and paramilitary police. So it hit me extra hard.

It's time for a drastic change there. How about first not allowing fireworks and other explosive devices? Duh!!!

The incident yesterday was an ambush. The officer was killed by an explosive device while escorting fans.

If there are no penalties, relegations, if the season continues, then Catania and Palermo should finish their season behind closed doors. No fans allowed and no TV coverage. I think huge punishments should be delt to say if security isn't an important issue, then they shouldn't be in spectated soccer.

[RevsFanDan]

ok, i hope i do not ocme across as racist or anything, but I have lived 20 years out of my young 24 in Italy. Precisely in Tuscany.

If you have ever lived in Italy you will be aware that people in the South( aka south of Rome and including the islands (Sardegna and Sicilia) ) are very backward thinking.

But without calling names or saying anything, I am definitely not surprised this happened. Not surprised at all.

Italian soccer may be world champion but their domestic leagues are in a sad sad state, reason for which I have stopped following italian soccer.

But guess what, I bet the fans that killed the cop are gonna get like 6 months probation knowing the italian justice system.

So typical a comment from someone who simply follows and adheres to a racist view. "they're from the south therfore they are....oh they're from Germany therefore they are...Well, they're from Africa, therefore they....What do you expect from someone from South America, they must be...Oh well, they are fans of Celtic, what do you expect from a....Oh that guy, he's Irish so he must be a...Oh, he's Italian descent so you know what they're into.
For one thing, I'm ashamed that you even lived in my beloved region. If you are Italian, I'm ashamed that I am one, because of you and people like you.
You didn't want to sound racist, but that's exactly what you did with your comment..and I hope that BigSoccer does something about it. I for one will report your post for possible action.

[nyrmetros]

i loved the show 90 Minuto "Novantesimo Minuto"

do any of you guys remember how 5-6 years back Inter fans dropped a friggin scooter on the heads of visiting fans down below in Meazza stadium?

That was a classic.

Didn't CA supporters at Azteca throw a wheelbarrow from the upper deck a few years ago ?

[nyrmetros]

So typical a comment from someone who simply follows and adheres to a racist view. "they're from the south therfore they are....oh they're from Germany therefore they are...Well, they're from Africa, therefore they....What do you expect from someone from South America, they must be...Oh well, they are fans of Celtic, what do you expect from a....Oh that guy, he's Irish so he must be a...Oh, he's Italian descent so you know what they're into.
For one thing, I'm ashamed that you even lived in my beloved region. If you are Italian, I'm ashamed that I am one, because of you and people like you.
You didn't want to sound racist, but that's exactly what you did with your comment..and I hope that BigSoccer does something about it. I for one will report your post for possible action.

huh?
The guy is right. My good friend's family is from south Italy. He's been there many times to visit. He tells me the same thing each time. The people from the south of Italy are backwards. It's a different lifestyle and culture, and there is major resentment from the south towards the north in regards to laws, politicians, etc...

Is there a parralel in this country? My Italain-American friend seems to think so.

He has family from both Barri and Catania. They don't want to be told what to do by lawmakers from the north.

[JBigjake]

The incident yesterday was an ambush. The officer was killed by an explosive device while escorting fans.
Thanks for the info.
Last season, during the second road trip to DC, some idiot ran up & threw a lit firework at our group as we were being escorted from the stadium by RFK security (due to the problems after the season opener). Imagine if it had hit one of us or the escorts in the face, instead of skipping past us & exploding against the curb. The guy then outran security. I saw posted elsewhere that he was later apprehended while trying to attack others in our parking lot, also that he was not charged, only banned.
That was a classic. Didn't CA supporters at Azteca throw a wheelbarrow from the upper deck a few years ago ?
Please don't revert to your yobbo wannabee roots. I don't want to see or hear about anything dropped on someone from an upper deck at a soccer game.

[nyrmetros]

Please don't revert to your yobbo wannabee roots. I don't want to see or hear about anything dropped on someone from an upper deck at a soccer game.

it happened. I don't condone it, but nothing I can do about it.