Trying Days Remain for Italian Soccer

I'm not one to overdo the "social malaise" angle of violence. After all, the ultimate responsibility resides in the sovereign self. Sure, there are exceptions but violence in any community or country where civility is secure is unacceptable. Enter soccer violence as recently witnessed in the Italian city of Catania.

I am not here to indict the sport of soccer. Nor am I here to generalize. Too often blogs and soccer forums are filled with brain dead partisan soccer "fans" who are anything but. If there is one thing I have learned during my soccer journey is that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

It's easy to point out the hooliganism and general fan violence we have seen through the years. We've seen this in many countries across the globe. The temptation is there to pour it on Italy but the sad truth is that they are not the only ones. Spain, France, Holland, Germany, England, Japan and South America (to single out a few) have all witnessed violence.

This is by no means to excuse what occurred in Catania.

We tend to inevitably look at this sort of stuff through North American eyes. Thus our conclusion is that soccer is a sport over run by hooligans. However, when we look at how many countries and people that participate in the sport the numbers are indeed tiny. Sadly, even the smallest of disturbances can lead to pointless deaths.

Catania is a province in the region of Sicily. Its capital is Catania which has a population of 305 000. By comparison, my city of Laval, a suburb of Montreal, holds 350 000. Catania's soccer stadium is a rather shoddy facility that holds roughly 21 000 people.

Not exactly Milan, London or Paris in terms of size. Yet, this small city has sent Italy into shock. Following a match against Sicilian rivals Palermo in which Catania lost 2-1, fans rioted in the streets. In the ensuing violence a police officer lay dead. A second police officer remains in critical condition. The images were surreal - I saw a kid on an Italian news program partake in the violence while where designer clothing.

Like many countries and sports leagues, Italian officials chose to react rather than be proactive. The signs have been there for quite some time. National head coach Roberto Donadoni was scathing in his comments alluding to this. "We don't practice what we preach. We've been talking about these incidents for years and they still keep on happening."

For its part, the Gazzetta Dello Sport - normally a sober and solid sports newspaper - did not hold back any punches. " Whose sons are they and what transforms their passion for sport into fury?" And "Italy we have a problem and don't just look at football fans."

Sounds like Italy is going through what England experienced with hooliganism in the 1980s and 1990s. If Italy does not take the necessary measures to stamp out this malignant problem they too will find themselves banned from international play just as England was. The first action taken by Italian officials was to cancel all games. Now the tough part begins. How to deal with this?

The timing could not have been worse. With the scandal still fresh in the minds of people, it gives too much ammunition to people who choose to attack the Italian character. Italy is one of the world's greatest soccer culture. It is a land where paradoxes become skewed to the point of absurdity. The country faced a soccer scandal yet it managed to win a World Cup. Polar extremes seem to define the Italian character. In many ways, it mirrors American society in this light. If Italy were a painting it would be a Dali.

What about America? Here's the thing: why does North America not witness similar spontaneous violence at its sporting events? Take, for example, the Super Bowl. Easily one of the planets biggest sports events. Has there ever been fan violence? By extension, has there ever been rampant hooliganism in America's two biggest sports: baseball and football? As for Canada, the same question can be applied to hockey.

That is not to say there have not been fan violence. There have. I seem to recall Detroit fans rampage following a Pistons NBA championship and in my own city of Montreal fans lost their marbles after the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993. And don't make me bring up the occasional jack ass fans who taunt professional athletes who, in turn, are sometimes too immature to turn the other cheek.

Nonetheless, these are usually the actions of a small set of fans. Then again, that's all that is needed right? There are no racist chants or kids running across stadiums looking for trouble in American stadiums. Given a sports mad society like America who probably on average go to more sporting events in greater numbers than any nation on earth, the country remains free of the sort of violence we see in soccer.

Why is that?

Obviously, this article can go well beyond the scope of mere sports as the psychological and demographic profiles of North American spectators are different from Europeans. It is interesting to point out that little research has been done about this.

In any event, the sports world laments the senseless loss of life - the insanity of stupid people. There rightfully is a sense of outrage in Italy these dark days.