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After a tragic [link="http://www.eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=8649"]"Serie A" weekend match[/link], during which one police officer was fatally injured in the riots that followed the match between [team1] and [team2], the owner of the home team, Antonino Pulvirenti, stated that he can no longer continue his duties and is leaving his position.
The tense match ended with a score of 1-2 in favor of the "Palermo" team, but after the match, massive riots broke out. A large group of "Catania" fans clashed with the police and one officer, 38-year-old Filippo Raciti, was killed when he was hit in the face by an explosive. Following the riots, more than a hundred people ended up in the local Garibaldi hospital, although reports stated that none of them were in danger of losing their lives.
"I can't continue my work after what happened," Pulvirenti said. "I hoped that our fans had learned their lesson after a similar attack earlier in the season when we were already forced to play in an empty stadium, but it seems I was mistaken."
Following the president's example, another important figure in the team, sports director Pietro Lo Monaco, also announced on Saturday that he would be stepping down from the "Catania" team.
"It's impossible to continue working in these conditions," Lo Monaco said. "Until now, it has been my everyday life, my lifestyle, but when such things happen here, I can no longer live like that."
Meanwhile, the "Catania" club suspended the operation of its official website, expressing deep condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased police officer.
"It may seem strange to some, but it would be complete absurdity to write about football after what happened," the club's official statement said.
"We express our deepest condolences to the family of the police inspector, who sacrificed his life to ensure public safety during the match."
