UEFA has announced that it is unlikely to move the final from Rome after an Arsenal fan was stabbed in the leg before the last 16 tie between the London club and Roma on Wednesday. UEFA also amazingly claimed that moving the final away from the chosen ground would make fans ‘less safe’
UEFA spokesperson, William Gaillard, released the following statement today:
“Moving to another place would probably put these arrangements in danger so it wouldn’t be safer, it would be less safe,” he said. “We will review arrangements with the Italian police. We will have a larger number of police present, as we did in Moscow [for the final] last year, and more stewards for visiting fans. It will be a different situation in which it will be a neutral venue.
“We take it seriously because a fan was injured and there is no way we would take it for granted that everyone will be fine. We will be in a completely different context for the final. There will be no Rome team involved. A much more neutral context, together with the special measures we are putting in place with the Rome police, should ensure we have a good venue for the fans.”
The incident occurred after a bus that Arsenal fans were traveling on was ambushed by a number of Roma’s “Ultra’s”. The injured man managed to make his way to the hospital to get treatment for his bleeding leg. Roma were also in the news for attacking rival fans in 2007 when Manchester United traveled for a quarter final tie in the Italian capital.
