Fan rioting has done what a betting scandal couldn’t—shut down Italian soccer. After Sunday rioting at a Lazio F.C. match left one fan dead from a cop’s bullet, the Italian Football Association has decided to shut down the Serie B and C level matches for at least this week, and possibly longer.

Luckily for the soccer crazed country, the officer shot the victim the week of international break when the country’s highest level of soccer, Serie A, was going to be off anyway. The soccer officials wanted to make a point, but not a “shut down A.C. Milan versus Inter”-level point. Giancarlo Abete, president of the country’s football federation, thinks the one week should be enough to send that message home.

“We don’t intend to restart all tournaments from Sunday 25,” [Abete] said. “We will have to study, with the Serie A clubs, certain initiatives to be put in place by the 25th, a reflection of the values of football, like a categorical no to any form of violence.”

Yes! No violence in Italian soccer. We love that message and know someone who could use that type of information.

Italian FA at odds with politicians over token reaction to riots [Guardian]
Image [Guardian]