Italian Soccer Violence Continues, AS Roma vs Lazio Riots [Pictures]

It’s a sad state of affairs in Italy. Sports are supposed to be for entertainment — a game.

The passion Italian soccer fans display is unrivaled in the United States.  Americans simply cannot comprehend the amount of insanity spewing from the fans attending these matches (the actual true defininition of the word ‘fanatic’).

Simply put, they make this guy seem normal.

When teams like AS Roma and Lazio get together, the stadium serves as a coliseum for gang-like rioting.  Fan violence is once again the leading story.

The start of this weekend’s match was pushed back two hours because of security concerns.  As riot police line up to create a barrier between rival fans, the hooligans begin hurling bottles and shooting firecrackers at each other.

Another common occurrence is stabbings and belt whippings.

This is nothing new.  Italian soccer fan violence has become part of the game.  Over the years we have had various deaths from fans to riot police.

For a great personal account of a tourist’s experience of going to an AS Roma – Lazio game last year, read this.  It’s exceptionally real.

Here is another great article about Italian fan violence from late 2007.

One man is in a serious condition, receiving a deep cut to his neck, according to forzaroma.info.