Video of Manchester United fans attacked by Roma police (full coverage)
United got an away goal and are a goal behind after playing for 60 minutes with 10 men, but the biggest talking points of the game will be the ball-boys, Roma’s gamesmanship and the incident at half-time that ended with the police beating up Manchester United fans.
I wonder how this will be dealt with by Uefa, Manchester United and Roma.
If you remember the last time Manchester United were involved with police in a Champions League game, it was the away leg of the Lille-vs-Manchester United second round tie this year. At that time too, Manchester United fans were beaten up and the club was subsequently fined after a review of the video evidence.
This time the decision needs to be made a lot quicker by Uefa. Were the Roma fans responsible for provoking Manchester United fans? Did the Manchester United fans throw items at the Roma fans over the glass walls dividing the two sections? Did the Manchester United fans clash with the police? Did the police use batons to beat the fans? Did the police beat fans that had fallen down?
I think the answers to all 5 questions are yes.
Did the police do anything about the Roma fans?
No.
I’m going to quote directly from the Guardian minute-by-minute (who got to see the half time incident on Sky while I was cursing the lack of electricity in my area - which caused me to miss everything after the Roma goal to the 6th minute of the second half (51st minute of the game)):
Half-time brawling:
As if things weren’t bad enough on the pitch, in the terraces a few of the United fans have been taking a bit of a battering from the Roman police. The Sky cameras didn’t show much, just a couple of supporters with split heads and blood flowing on their faces. Ah, now they’re showing more. We don’t see what initiated the fracas, but we certainly see the police ending it with some brutal truncheon-wielding. As the United fans were retreating, several fell over and then were ruthlessly attacked while on the ground. There will definitely be repercussions from that incident.
More on that fight:
Sky have just broadcast a replay of what caused the fighting. When Roma scored, their fans charged at the glass wall separating them from their opposite numbers, the United supporters took the bait and charged back, causing the police to step in and dish out their beatings. The United fans were stupid to react to the taunting, yet why should the police only enforce the law on the English fans, not the Italians?
One of the readers mailed this piece in to the MBM:
“I am watching the game at home in Italy and listening to the commentary and the English fans are getting all the blame. The commentators are saying that the English fans started throwing things into the home end after Rome scored. After MU’s advice about places to avoid, the Italians are already miffed that anyone would suggest that Rome is a dangerous place for foreign football fans and this incident is being used to prove the point that it is the English fans causing all the trouble. Funnily enough, we only go to see the beatings not what caused them.”
“RIOT police baton-charged Manchester United fans during the 2-1 defeat in Roma tonight.
Supporters were beaten back as they reacted angrily to being taunted by rival fans.
One man was left nursing a bloodied head at Italian side Roma’s Olympic Stadium.
United followers were barracked after Rodrigo Taddei fired Roma ahead 44 minutes into the Champions League quarter-final first-leg match.
Italian fans ran at a plastic partition separating them from the United terrace. In response, some of the United crowd breached the line of stewards and hurled objects over the partition.
Before the game, seven United fans had been injured in clashes with Roma supporters outside the stadium.”
And the Telegraph is saying this:
“After the hosts took a 1-0 lead, both sets of fans threw missiles at each other.
Police moved in using their batons on United supporters and TV pictures showed one dazed fan with blood pouring from his face, with others trying to help him back to his feet.
Meanwhile, announcements were made over the public address system threatening to halt the game.”
We’ll find more video footage in the coming days, but here’s what I think:
1) United fans were partly responsible.
2) The police over-reacted.
3) Uefa will fine Roma but do little else.
It’s the third bit that I find the most troubling. I don’t want Roma to be suspended or thrown out of the competition (even though their gamesmanship and the ball-boy thing does tarnish their image for me quite a lot), but something has to be done to protect fans from police.
That’s what we’ve come to - the police, who are there to protect, are now there to keep order at whatever cost.
That’s a scary thought for fans, isn’t it?
For more coverage of the game itself (including the goals), see the earlier post, Roma 2-1 Manchester United.
The BBC has a detailed account of the incident as well.
- 21 fans arrested for violent conduct before Manchester United v Roma game
- Police fail football as 7 Manchester United fans are stabbed in Rome
- Manchester United 7-1 Roma - Goal Videos
- AS Roma v Manchester United Preview
- Daily News Roundup: 05 April 2007
Discussion - 12 Responses
Add Your Comment
Comments are moderated (our comments policy).
With the Italian Police officer being killed in sicily, this reaction is somewhat perfectly understandable even thought i agree that it was excessive force.
Remember that it was the ENGLISH / United fans that charged the Italians and not the other way around .. They are all grown men and if they can not take taunting fron the other teams fans then they should just stay home.
Well, you have to understand whatever goes on in reality English media will simply make ManU fans sound like poor souls.
I watched the after-match coverage of the brawl…. I could not see anything clearly, quite a hotch-potch as it was, except that when police DID try to control Roma and ManU fans…. they weren’t giving in to police instructions - now, that always calls for batons!
Secondly, there appears to be some weight in bait-theory. I do remember watching Roma fans actually “laughing” and enjoying after inciting ManU fans. Once done, they settled down. Being too many in numbers, perhaps, they knew no one would go around “trying” to beat them!
ManU fans should’ve realized they’re too few in numbers, can be easily beaten if they don’t control themselves. It is no ones mistake really, this “teasing” bit being the usual off-pitch fans-part of the competition BUT you got to listen to the police or be ready for those batons.
And btw, ManU is not likely to receive any soft corner for UEFA. This is the second time the crowd has gotten volatile. Liverpool and Arsenal fans didn’t raise this hell - perhaps, they weren’t incited. In fact, Chelsea Barcelona had a very heated second leg in Nou Camp - things could’ve turned sour but nothing happened.
Whether police did some “selective baton-beating” or the poor souls were “teased”…. C’mon… ask the objective question. Why for the second time? There could be genuine factors “leading to” trouble, but there has to be lack of conduct.
Even if SOME Man Utd fans took the bait, it doesn’t warrant beating a man whilst he’s on the floor! Or, pushing a woman in the face. In the video, the one police officer hits the man who’s fallen over 9 times even though he’s not resisting or fighting back. You have to ask yourself:
Why were the Police only on the Man Utd side of the barricade?
I’m not saying that Man Utd fans did not start any trouble because I wasn’t there. Some fans might have deserved to get beaten back but that video is nothing but police brutality and I hope the consequences are severe for the officer dishing out that unnecessary amount of force.
Why were certain areas mentioned to away fans as ‘hotspots’? Because Italian fans are no angels either and there is plenty of evidence to support that. There were definitely hooligans there alright, some even had uniforms.
i think the roma police was alittle unfair to crash the devastated man u fans.i bliv some smoother approach wud have been utilised. i’d rather the fa do a thorough investigation into the matter otherwise revenge at O.T. wi don’ wanna c a life get lost in England.thanx
it only goes on to prove the italian’s point…that rome is a safe place play for playing football…if you’re italian! i rest my case
Even though im not a hool, i dont think you can behave “grown and adult” in a situation like that. If some people on the other side of the fence is provoking you, of course you’ll be acting a bit crazy. Football is about feelings.
Im not defending the fools that provoked violence, but the Police force have a huge task here. A policeman’s job is to keep calm and not provoke situations themself. Of what i’ve seen i think they failed miserably. They didn’t react on the other side of the fence. ONLY on the United side.
I clearly remember one episode. A man is laying down. Then comes in a policeman beating him while still laying down. Then 4 others coming through helping the police man.. BEATING HIM.. Nothing will justify a beating like that
Its a football game, not a parliament
The police was really bad. Their job is to keep things under control, but not hitting them, but by holding them.
This Rome Police whomping on the ManUtd fans is just hideous.
UEFA needs to do something quick.
I don’t care what was said back in forth between the fans they were sepaerated by two sections and two fences let them taunt each other all day words are words and there was no way for them to get at each other so have at it.
But for the police to go in the ManUtd section is just wrong.
As someone else said whatever was done it doesn’t warrant beating a man while he’s on the floor! Pushing a woman in the face. In the video, the one police officer hits the man who’s fallen over 15 times even though he’s not resisting or fighting back.
UEFA you have to ask…
Why were the Police only on the Man Utd side of the barricade?
I’m not saying that Man Utd fans did not start any trouble because I wasn’t there.
Some fans might have deserved to get removed by Police but that video is nothing but police brutality and I hope the consequences are severe for the officers dishing out that unnecessary amount of force.
BTW the ManUtd fan guy in the green jacket who is trying to help the guy up and gesturing for the cop to stop is a saint. He could have gotten clobbered as well but he risked his well being to help that other guy and maybe even saved his life. Plus later on he is the same guy who goes and gets the other guy bleeding from head wounds away from the cops.
I was there at the match. It was not the united fans who started it. they did retaliate when bottles, coins, paint cans were thrown at them,I didnt, but it is not suprising that some did. The police waded in though without any need. No one stopped the Roma fans throwing things. It would have stopped anyway. The police could not have stopped all the things being thrown and they didnt. They cant be everywhere. So they viciously beated innocent people, and most of them were, they just happened to be where the police were. It’s a disgrace and they dont deserve to have the champions league in their country if they cant provide proper crowd control like in England.
personally i am not surprised with the italian police behaviour ,it was totally ridiculous keeping the beating on the man on the floor and i m not saying that the fans are hundred percent innocent, the huge immage that a part of english fans called (hooligans) or ultras in italian was the reason of making the police come to the staduim with the idea that during this game they have to use batons to complete their job.
I wasn,t in Rome but I was in Old Trafford and we did our beating on the pitch
I agree With Vicky..Ban the Italiens..English teams get banned, even the national side got banned because of crowd trouble. But it never happens with other nations..And the bloody Italien Police were Bang out of order..beating Woman with batons and people who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was the italien fans that started. but thats the past the english kicked fuc*king roma out of the champions League 7-1 at old trafford..Haha Learn newbies.