FIGC chief: It's not football violence
Federation President Giancarlo Abete insists the death of a Lazio supporter had nothing to do with football-related violence.
Inter-Lazio was called off after 26-year-old Biancocelesti fan Gabriele Sandri was killed by a wayward police bullet in a motorway service station near Arezzo.
“It is a decision the football world took along with the Lega Calcio and the Presidents of the two clubs involved in an event that had lost all meaning,” said Abete.
“The dynamics of the incident are still being ascertained and none of us know exactly what happened. The game could not go ahead, everyone agreed on that, but we tried to keep the other matches going to prevent further problems.”
The other Serie A matches in Week 12 will go ahead as planned with a 10-15 minute delay, but tension is rising in stadiums all over the country.
“All teams will wear a black armband as a sign of mourning. This incident was very different to other football violence, as it seemed to be a fight between a small number of people and a shot went off accidentally – from what I have been told, from quite far away – and unfortunately proved fatal.
“It is well known there are problems between a certain section of the fans and the police, but this is not the point. Here we had a fight between two groups of fans who were not going to play each other.”
Nonetheless, the tension between police and Ultras is escalating and there have already been riots outside the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia with both Milan and Atalanta fans attacking the authorities.
“This is the saddest thing. A tragic and entirely accidental event should not create further violence against the police authorities. It was an accident that unfortunately caused the loss of a life,” added Abete.
“Everyone must have the intellectual honesty to recognise this has little to do with the football world and was a tragic accident that could have happened in any other situation.”
In previous years when a fan or police officer was killed, the Serie A round was immediately called off, but the FIGC President explained why this was not repeated this time.
“We also considered calling off all the games, but believe we made the right decision. It is sad to say it, but we cannot put this incident in with the events of Catania, where there was effectively pre-planned warfare between Ultras and the police.
“Here was a fight that broke out in a motorway service station – we’re not even sure the fight had anything to do with sporting affiliation – and a tragic accident where a human life was lost.”
Lotito: We lost a family member
Lazio President Claudio Lotito has urged supporters not to blame the police for the tragic accident that killed “a member of our family.”
Today’s Inter-Lazio match at San Siro was called off after the death of 26-year-old Gabriele Sandri, a DJ and Biancocelesti fan who was accidentally shot by a wayward police bullet in a motorway service station near Arezzo.
“As soon as I heard the news I tried to get as many details as I could. Lazio are a big family and the death of one fan – especially in this manner – was a tragedy,” said Lotito.
“I also attempted to put together as much as I could to understand what happened. It does not seem to be a football-related incident, but rather two cars that had Juventus and Lazio fans that met in a motorway service station near Arezzo.
“The police happened to be there and intervened, but unfortunately it seems as if an accidental shot – we still need to see the evidence and the investigation to understand if it was an accident – went off and killed the fan.”
Lotito was the first to demand that Inter-Lazio be called off after news of the death came through.
“We immediately pointed out it was wrong to let the game go ahead. However, we need to explain this is not a battle between the fans and police. Sport has to be experienced with fair play and dignity for everybody.
“The squad is already at the airport returning to Rome. I immediately suspended the game out of respect for this lad, his family and the fans.”
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