Watchers of the Italian game will have long been aware that standards of behaviour off the pitch have fallen way, way behind our own. Indeed, I would say that over the last decade things have been on a fairly steady downward spiral which culminated in the death of Fillipo Raciti at the Catania v Palermo derby last year. It is this one event that has seemingly finally galvanised the Italian authorities into meaningful action in an effort to steer the Italian game towards what is called “il modello inglese.”

At the start of this season the (deep breath) Osservatorio Nazionale sulle Manifestazioni Sportive del Viminale was set up to oversee standards of behaviour in and around football grounds. Clubs were promised that tolerance levels were set to zero and that ALL aspects of fans’ behaviour would be monitored. This remit meant that it wasn’t only the spectacular misbehaviour of fans that would be punished but that racist or “disrespectful” songs and banners would also be met with sanctions. Moreover, punishment would be significant rather than the usual slap on the wrist handed out by the FIGC, ranging from fines through to ground closures. This was no bluff.

Already this year Napoli has had to play a league game behind closed doors (at huge cost). After minor disturbances at the San Paolo in the game against Livorno (apparently caused by huge queues trying to get into the ground because of the new security measures) and a bottle being thrown onto the pitch, the club’s next home game against Genoa was ordered to be played senza pubblico. The irony of it being this fixture won’t be lost on many – Genoa is the one club in Italy that has cordial relations with Napoli and games between the two usually involve an open away sector so that fans can mingle.

The Viminale is also charged with evaluating each game on a week to week basis and ordering security measures to minimise potential problems. To this end, the recent game between Inter and Napoli (them again) was designated as one where there could be no away fans. To many, this move seemed draconian. Moreover, the commission allowed the open sale of tickets in and around Milan. Of course, our Neapolitan friends are spread all over Italy and it is estimated that there were between three and five thousand azzurri in the San Siro that day. “Mercifully” as one onlooker put it, the day passed with no serious problems. What did happen though was Inter fans displayed offensive banners – “Naples – sewer of Italy” being one choice example.

http://www.calcioblog.it/post/4129/striscioni-razzisti-chiusa-la-curva-dellinter

Whereas this sort of abuse has been par for the course for decades the fans can’t say they haven’t been warned and this week Inter were fined E30k and will have to play their next home game with no fans in the middle tier of the Curva Nord – the home of its ultras. Neapolitans, who cornered the market in conspiracy theories years ago, have openly wondered why this sentence is so light compared to their total ground closure.

This weekend may prove pivotal.

There are three games which the commission has classified as Risk 4 (the highest). These are Juve v Genoa, Livorno v Lazio and Roma v Napoli. What is interesting is that whereas away fans are being allowed to the first two, Naples fans are banned from the Stadio Olimpico.

There is no doubt that the potential for disorder exists at this fixture. I went to the game at the San Paolo in 2001 and have rarely seen anything like it. However, although it involves smaller numbers, the political clash between the left leaning Livorno and the team which many refer to as “Nazio” is actually a more vicious encounter and the ruling on away fans seems inconsistent to this observer.

That said, there is sense in the decision. The bad blood between Roma and Napoli is borne of a broken friendship and many “fans” have been waiting for this league fixture for all the wrong reasons. Tickets for all areas of the Stadio were supposed to go on sale this week which, given Rome’s proximity to Naples, would almost certainly lead to large numbers of supporters mixed in together. At the time of writing this decision had been suspended and the Prefetto of Rome and local police had waded into the argument, deciding to make the game for season ticket holders only.

And what of the tifosi?

At one end of the scale there is an acknowledgement that change is needed (this is a majority view) and that one, maybe two years of “transition” is required to save the game from sliding further into the mire. At the other end, well. Some have asked why it took the death of a policeman to force the issue when fans have been (regularly) killed in football related violence for over 20 years in Italy. Some are refusing to change. Neapolitan ultras organised a protest at the San Paolo this week and the chance of some fairly unlikely friendships is in the offing as various fans’ groups become increasingly frustrated with the tougher than tough stance.

That there has been a sea change in the administration of the game in Italy, there can be no doubt and there will be attendant problems for all fans in the next few years. Many Italian teams draw their support from all over the country (Juve and Napoli being good examples) and banning away fans will effectively mean banning some supporters from seeing their team the one time in the year when they can. Away fans were not allowed into the recent Fiorentina v Juve game, but some got in, and as can be seen from the following clip, were lucky to get out again…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ttg1OgvrC4&NR=1

The rule changes will also mean it is very difficult for anyone planning to watch any of the big games to make arrangements and be confident that tickets will be available. The Roma v Napoli game is a good example of this. Several Roma fan groups from all over Europe had flights and hotels booked for this game and now cannot get in and only had three days notice of the ticket ban. If you’re thinking of going over to watch a game yourself it would be inadvisable to book anything too far in advance. The Rome derby is scheduled for Wednesday October 31st and at the moment, both sets of fans will be present. That said, both clubs have also been issued with yellow cards for indiscretions this year (several Inter fans were stabbed outside the Olimpico before the game with Roma) and all are aware that any further problems will mean further bans.

It is of course, hugely sad that it has come to this. Football in Italy is still an all encompassing occasion that can be loud, passionate and very exciting. The government’s reaction (for once) has been very strong. Many in Italy would argue that ineffectual leadership in this regard is one of many reasons why affairs off the pitch reached the lows experienced last year and why the country was not awarded the 2012 European championships – a decision which horrified the nation.

In a way, a bullish stance makes sense in that it may shorten the period of transition and in a couple of years we’ll be back to watching full houses with lots of away fans in attendance played in a colourful, loud atmosphere. It also means that we’ll be spared some of the more unsavoury aspects of the Italian game that have blighted it for so long. What many observers (both in Italy and abroad) have a problem with is the aspiration – the aforementioned modello inglese. Whilst no-one would want to see a return to the bad old days of the seventies and eighties there are many who feel that English top flight football has become too sanitised. Tickets are expensive, TV schedules fundamentally alter your team’s season, behaviour is closely monitored and a lot of the “flavour” has gone. Many fans in Italy are extremely wary of this and the numbers of fans espousing the ideal of “no al calcio moderno” is rising.

So, on the one hand government has taken a view and is committed to zero tolerance of violence, disorder and any manifestation of racism or being disrespectful. On the other those in the vanguard of calcio fear that a sanitised game will mean losing what so many hold precious. Time will tell who holds sway.

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