Violence at Italian football grounds is reducing while the number of fans coming to watch live matches is increasing, a report released on Thursday claimed. The Italian football Observatory, a body charged with disciplinary matters in the game, claimed that the first half of the 2008-09 Serie A season attracted nearly 11 percent more fans than the same stage the year before.
The average Serie A gate has increased from 22,430 to 24,825 from the first half of 2007-08. But it is in terms of violence that the biggest difference has been seen. The top flight has seen a 66 percent reduction of injuries among supporters, 41 percent amongst the forces of order and nearly 54 percent fewer arrests.
Across the 1,185 matches in the top three divisions there have been 28 percent fewer violent clashes amongst fans, reduced from 39 to 28 and an 83 percent reduction in the use of tear gas, down from six to just one incident. The number of injuries to forces of order reduced by 41 percent from 104 to 61 while the number of fans hurt is down 53.5 percent from 129 to 60.
What's more, over the last two seasons there has been a reduction of 28,000 police inside stadiums, saving the tax-payer more than seven million euros. These figures come after Italian football authorities implemented a number of measures at reducing fan violence after a terrible 2007 in which a policeman was killed after the Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo and a fan was accidentally shot dead by a policeman after violence broke out at a gas station between rival Juventus and Lazio fans.
The Observatory has banned away fans from many matches considered at risk of violence over the last two seasons while Napoli fans were barred from away travel for the whole of the current campaign after some hooligans rioted on their trip to Rome for the first match of this season. Authorities have also started an anti-hooliganism advertising campaign and said they would consider putting cells inside stadiums.