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The newcomer to the Italian "Serie A" championship club will no longer play at their stadium this season and will have to compete without spectators - such a punishment was imposed due to the riots that occurred after the Sicily derby, in which the police officer Filippo Raciti was killed.
"The seriousness of the events, recidivism, and the concrete danger that incidents could be repeated and create new public order problems during the remaining matches, led us to decide that the disqualification of the stadium until June 30 is an appropriate punishment. In addition, "Catania" will have to play the remaining matches of their season without spectators and also pay a fine," - it is written in the statement of the disciplinary committee of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
Such a decision did not surprise anyone in Italy, as the "Catania" team had already had to play two matches without spectators this season due to incidents in Sicilian derbies. Now the club will most likely have to move their home matches to Rome or Rieti and play there behind closed doors. The first such match will take place this weekend against "Fiorentina."
The "Massimino" stadium in Catania is one of several arenas that do not meet safety requirements and would be closed for at least a month in any case. However, the "Catania" club, which was also fined about 50,000 euros, will seek to improve the stadium and is preparing to appeal.
"This verdict has hit the city hard. It forces us to forget about football despite our limited responsibility for the incident that occurred outside the stadium. It is normal that we will do everything we can so that normal fans can see their beloved team until the end of the season. Several newspapers predicted such a verdict, and that is exactly what happened," said "Catania" general manager Pietro Lo Monaco.
"Several things need to be understood. Gianpaolo Toselis (the referee of the disciplinary committee - ed.) stated that he did not punish the "Torino" and "Roma" clubs for their fans' whistling during a minute of silence on Sunday because the "normal" fans took control. What does this mean? Do we not have any decent supporters? Are we third world people in Catania?" - P.Lo Monaco sarcastically asked.
Another stadium where there will be no spectators in the near future is the "Armando Picchi" in Livorno. On Wednesday, "Livorno" will play their first-ever UEFA Cup knockout match at home against Barcelona's "Espanyol", and after an inspection, it was decided that spectators will not be allowed into the stadium due to safety requirements not being met for the European tournament match.
