MILAN, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The Italian Senate on Wednesday passed a far-reaching bill against the growing problem of soccer hooliganism in the country.
The new legislation sets into law a government decree issued
in the summer and is based on bills introduced in Britain which
created specific soccer-related offences.
Italian soccer was plagued with violent incidents last
season.
Fans can now be charged with offences such as entering the
field of play, throwing objects inside a stadium and racial
abuse.
Authorities will also have new powers to ban offenders from
stadiums and video and photographic evidence can be used in the
prosecution of hooligans.
However, the bill did not include a controversial element of
the government decree which allowed for police to make arrests
up to 48 hours after a match.
Italian law makes a distinction between the police's power
to detain and the process of arresting, which always requires
the approval of a magistrate.
Despite the growth of violence and racism inside Italian
stadiums, arrest figures remain low although soccer authorities
have fined and banned clubs from their home stadium after
incidents.
- NEWS