Italian Cabinet Votes to Keep Fans out of Stadiums

Stadiums in Italy may remain empty until they meet security standards. That is the word according to a decree passed by the Italian Cabinet today in the wake of rioting last week that led to the fatal attack of a policeman. The safety of spectators at any sporting event should always be a priority, but as the tragedy in Italy has shown that is not always the case. Just by taking a look at the list of the Serie A stadiums that are not currently up to code you can see that this is an area that has long been neglected despite past rhetoric that indicates otherwise.

Italy is not alone in its negligence. There are stadiums around the world that put fans at risk, but this is a subject that no one likes to talk about. So we don’t, until it is too late.

It is amazing to me that the San Siro, home to the AC Milan and Inter Milan, is not up to code. This was a stadium that underwent $60 million in renovations as part of the 1990 World Cup and which has hosted a bundle of Champions Leagues matches. It is one of the most famous stadiums in the world.

It now may be empty until next year’s Serie A season.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani believes the required work at the San Siro cannot be completed until the start of next season.

“They certainly will not be finished before October,” said Galliani.

“The San Siro is one of the biggest stadia and the work will not be finished before the end of the season.

“AC Milan and Inter have done everything possible, but there is nothing we can do to speed up the process.”

The process could have been sped up years ago if the codes that were put into law were actually enforced. But as is far too often the case in sporting world and in life, it takes a tragedy for action to actually happen.

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Category: Serie A