| Irish fans hurt as police battle
with supporters at Roma match  IRISH
fans of Manchester United were caught up in the violence which marred
their Champions League clash with Roma.
There were clashes outside the Olympic Stadium and more trouble inside
with visiting supporters claiming that they were attacked with batons
by Italian police.
Irish journalist Joel Taggart who was at the game said he was punched
to the ground by a Roma fan as he approached the ticket gate.
He said three other fans he talked to entering the ground said they
had been ambushed by Roma “ultras” one of them being hit with
a miniature baton.
Mr Taggart said the clashes with police happened after Roma scored their
first goal and their supporters started to taunt United fans on the other
side of a perspex partition.
He said: “I can only assume that the police felt there was a chance
they were going to force their way through the fence and they just stormed
down the stairwell on the United side of the fence knocking people over,
basically trying to get in between the two sides.
“We saw women being beaten out of the way. There were men, children
whoever was there was knocked out of the way.”
British-based Irishman David Pearce also said: “Italian police attacked
the Manchester United crowd. I tried to help a girl who’d fallen
down and one of the policemen hit me with a baton.
“It was absolute pandemonium. It’s just terrible.”
Another United fan Stuart Gallagher fled the ground when the Italian police
attacked.
The electrician from Hemel Hempstead said: “The police just wanted
trouble. They were really psyched up.
“One girl got pushed by cops down a flight of steps. As she lay
on concrete, they hit her on the chest with batons they were animals.”
Rome police said 18 United fans and two Roma fans needed medical treatment
as a result of incidents inside and outside the stadium.
UEFA has announced that they will launch an investigation into the night’s
events. Italian football has a reputation for violence among its fans.
In February the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) suspended all matches
after a policeman was killed before a Serie A game between Catania and
Palermo.
Before the game Manchester United fans were warned in letters and on the
club’s website to avoid certain areas of the city as they could
be attacked by Roma’s hardcore “ultra” fans.
Three Middlesbrough fans were also stabbed and 10 others hurt during fights
with Roma fans at a Uefa Cup quarter-final last year. |
