United press for Home Office action over Italian police

Manchester United yesterday issued an unprecedented condemnation of the Italian police's handling of the crowd trouble at the Champions League match with Roma in the Stadio Olympico on Wednesday and asked the British government to help investigate. But as Uefa opened an investigation into the violence, United are also bracing for disciplinary action. Both United and Roma can expect to be charged by Uefa.

United were fined £6,300 only a fortnight ago for trouble involving their fans at the away leg of their last-16 tie against Lille. Roma have a history of crowd trouble, and as the hosts on Wednesday will shoulder the responsibility for security.

Related articles

• Scholes' recklessness increases uphill task
• Search the news archive for more stories

The consensus among United supporters and officials is that trouble flared when Roma scored their first goal, and some Roma fans rushed to goad United's 4,000-strong travelling support, who were fenced into one corner of the ground. Missiles, including bottles, were thrown from both sides. The police then launched a series of baton charges, but only at the United fans.

"The distressing scenes witnessed in the Stadio Olympico on Wednesday night shocked everyone at Old Trafford," United said in a statement. "In what the club views as a severe over-reaction, local police handed out indiscriminate beatings to United supporters. In these circumstances, neither Manchester United nor Roma is able to call the police to account. As a result, the club warmly welcomes the government examination of the incident and will collect witness statements from fans to submit to the Home Office."

Achille Serra, the Rome prefect, said that 18 fans were injured and had been treated in hospital. Most of them were United fans, but some, including two United fans who were stabbed, were hurt in pre-match incidents away from the ground. Consular sources in Rome said last night that "pretty much all the injuries outside the ground were sustained in areas where United fans had specifically been warned they might encounter trouble".

The Home Office has confirmed that it will gather information from all relevant sources before deciding whether to approach Uefa and make a formal complaint about the police actions inside the ground. Richard Caborn, the sports minister, said: "It seems the police were heavy-handed - but whether that was justified or not we will have to wait and see."

Under Italian law, the local police force are responsible for safety within major stadiums. Italian football is still reeling from the death of a police officer two months ago at the Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo. The Italian Football Federation president, Giancarlo Abete, said yesterday: "The English press speak of heavy-handed police. [But] we owe gratitude to our law enforcers and I don't believe those who try to make games safe can be crucified in this manner."

United will argue that the police were doing little to ensure the safety of their fans, regardless of their direct involvement in any trouble. One female fan, 23-year-old Carly Lyes from Rusholme, yesterday accused the Italian police of snatching her digital camera to prevent her filming scenes of police brutality.

"The police clearly did not want me to film what they were doing," said Lyes, who needed medical treatment for a wrist injury. "It was awful. Even when I was getting treatment for my injuries supporters were still getting hit on the concourse below. One fan had blood pouring from his head and another was unconscious but the police kept on wading in. I was screaming and shouting for them to stop, but they just ignored me. They weren't saying anything, just lashing out in all directions."

The Italian police also came in for criticism from Cleveland Police Authority chairman Dave McLuckie, who was among Middlesbrough's travelling fans when they were attacked at a Uefa Cup game against Roma in the Stadio Olympico in March last year. He called for the government to step in before a British football fan is killed in Italy.

"When I watched [the United game on television], I was horrified to think what had happened to us was happening again," he said. "I was astounded and horrified that the Italian authorities have still not got their act together. What is quite clear is that the police in Rome favour their own fans, their own people. They are deliberately placing themselves in a position where they can only deal with one set of fans."

As well as accusing the Italian authorities of failing to investigate attacks on Boro fans, McLuckie blamed the police for allowing the Roma fans to arm themselves while female Boro fans had seemingly harmless items such as lipstick confiscated. He said: "When we came under attack from the Roma fans, they had what looked like holdalls full of missiles like golf balls and bottles."

Anders Frisk, the retired top-level referee who once abandoned a match in the stadium after being struck by a missile, happened to be at the game on Wednesday. He said: "The Italian police reacted very aggressively towards one or two incidents. This is what caused everything to catch fire."

In a bizarre epilogue to Wednesday's game, United fans were kept in the stadium for 90 minutes after the match, and shown their side's 1999 European Cup final victory, in full, on the big screens while they waited to leave. Rarely had any of them felt less like a celebration.

Fans' stories, in their own words 'Riot police charged from all sides and were kicking unconscious people'

* After the Roma goal a number of Roma fans got to the barriers to taunt us. A bunch of us responded just as badly and missiles (plastic bottles) were exchanged.

Then out of the blue riot police came into the United section, coming in waves from our left and then our right. They were close to us, and far from the people causing trouble, and absolutely not in the Roma section.

People around my wife and I were trying to get away from the police and I had to hold my wife up a few times for fear she might fall and get stomped on.

The riot police were hitting people left and right without even giving us a look, including beating older people and kids.

At a certain point they came from both sides and there was no way we could avoid the beating, so I told my wife to crouch down and I positioned myself in front of her to protect her, and I took a truncheon to the head.

I saw an older man, about 50, bleeding from the head. A woman aged about 40 was standing crying and apparently in shock. My wife begged me to take her home.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs more riot police were there. They looked like they couldn't wait to have a go at us. When we reached the gate there was a group of United fans, mostly older people with women or families with kids, and the officers told us we couldn't leave.

Ian, United fan, on MSN Forum.

* The police charged in from all angles and were hitting people indiscriminately. I saw them kicking, punching and hitting unconscious people. There was one fan on the floor; unconscious with blood pouring from his head. The police were dragging him down stairs and his head kept hitting each step.

Carly Lyes, 23, from Rusholme.

* Just after Roma scored, the police just turned and charged at us. I turned and ran and was hit on the head and knocked to the floor. Two policemen started smacking me with their batons. My head was split open and I have bruises all over. I really felt my life was in danger.

Salesman Anthony Wilson, 26, of Denton, Greater Manchester.

* It didn't matter whether they were old people, young people, men, women, whatever, they just hit everyone.

Mick Thorne, fan.

* The police were brutal. They hardly seemed to touch the Italian fans. I saw them hitting one old guy with batons as he lay on the ground. They were all attacking him at once.

We got chased away from the ground by the police and the Roma fans must have seen this and followed us. The police disappeared and then a gang of about 100 Ultras cornered us. Some of them had machetes and knives and others had chains with padlocks. They just ran at us. I got hit loads of times and there was blood everywhere.

Victor Hindley, aerial fitter, 42, from Blackpool.