Thursday Football

12 March 2009

by Jerrad Peters

UEFA should pull Rome final

Arsenal did UEFA a massive favor on Wednesday night. Although Juan's ninth-minute tally put AS Roma on level terms with the English side in the Champions' League Round of 16 encounter, the hosts came up short in the penalty shootout as the Gunners progressed into the quarterfinals. In so doing, they ensured that UEFA would not be obliged to move the tournament's May 27 final from Rome to another city.

Less than an hour-and-a-half before kickoff, a group of Roma ultras attacked a bus of visiting Arsenal fans. They hurled rocks at the windows—breaking some—before forcing open the door and boarding the vehicle. One traveling supporter badly cut in the melee, although it is unclear whether he was struck by broken glass or stabbed by a hooligan.

It was typical Roman hospitality in European competition. In April 2007, 11 Manchester United supporters were hospitalized after clashing with riot police inside the Stadio Olimpico. The year before, three Middlesbrough fans were stabbed ahead of a UEFA Cup tie with Roma.

The city's well-established reputation for football violence prompted UEFA president Michel Platini to issue an ultimatum ahead of the current Champions' League campaign. Fail to control the behavior of the locals, he told Rome authorities, and the much-coveted final would be moved elsewhere.

Thankfully for UEFA, Platini will not have to act on his words. Roma's elimination at the hands of Arsenal relegated the Stadio Olimpico to a neutral venue. But had Max Tonetto converted his penalty and Roma advanced to the next round, the president would have been put in a very difficult position.

Moving the final would have presented no shortage of difficulties, confirmed UEFA spokesman William Gaillard, not the least of which would have been setting up a new security infrastructure from scratch.

"Moving to another place would probably put these [security] arrangements in danger," he said, "so it wouldn't be safer. It would be less safe."

Instead, UEFA will commit to boosting its security presence in the Italian capital during the final. They will import additional police officers and provide extra stewards for visiting fans.

Ironically, the Italian authorities have become a large part of the problem. It was their brutality that hospitalized almost a dozen English supporters when Manchester United visited the Stadio Olimpico in 2007. Riot police not only instigated that unprovoked assault on the guests, they also performed acts of cruelty that should have resulted in Roma's immediate suspension.

Various accounts reported officers beating fans who had stooped to helped injured friends. Others told of children and elderly supporters bludgeoned indiscriminately. One officer actually shielded a female visitor from the blows of his colleague.

UEFA has pledged to evaluate its relationship with the Rome police. That will matter little, however, as the home team won't even be present for the final. Platini may have missed the boat on this one. It would have been far more prudent to punish Roma for past indiscretions ahead of this season. For instance, they might have been required to play their schedule behind closed doors.

At any rate, Wednesday's flare-up provided UEFA with yet another opportunity to clamp down on Italian football violence. Few people would have batted an eyelash if the governing body had canceled the Rome final and moved it elsewhere. The Italians have had it coming for a while. The embarrassment of losing a final would have been a just penalty for past disgraces.

jerradpeters@gmail.com