Italian Side Catania Suffer Heavy Punishment

Italian Serie A side Catania suffered a heavy punishment on Wednesday when they were ordered to play the remainder of their home games this season at neutral grounds and behind closed doors. The club also received a fine of approximately $70,000 (£33,000)

The punishment, handed down by the Italian Football League, comes as a result of crowd violence outside their Massimino Stadium on 2 February that resulted in the death of a policeman.

The Italian Football League stated that the incident had left “an indelible mark in the memory”. It cast shame on the whole of Italian football, not a great advert for the current World Champions.

The Catania chief executive Pietro Lo Monaco stated that the punishment and ban would “bring the city to its knees”. Perhaps the fans should have thought of that before! However Lo Monaco is also quoted as saying, “It was clear that our responsibility was limited by the fact that the violence happened outside the ground.” How about that for expertly trying to “pass the buck”! Your fans, your responsibility mate.

What Sr. Lo Monaco seems to have forgotten is that Catania were fined previously in September 2006 and ordered to play two matches behind closed doors after their supporters clashed with fans of Messina and Palermo. Is there a pattern forming here?

The Italian Football League issued a statement on their website that stated the ban reflected “the gravity of the events and the real danger posed by these acts of violence”. Adding that the punishment took into consideration “the absolute uselessness of sanctions already inflicted on Catania for previous acts of violence by its supporters”.

The current ban, and let’s hope it’s their last, will run until 30th June.

The Soccer Blogger