Letter: Outrage in Rome

Sir: With five of my fellow directors and our sons, I travelled to Rome to see the Italy v England match at the weekend. We do not wear football regalia, do not get drunk or cause trouble.

On arrival at Ciampino airport on Saturday afternoon we were greeted by a heavy and hostile armed police presence which was also in evidence at our hotel. On approaching the stadium we were searched, with things like plastic bottles of water confiscated - presumably they thought they could become dangerous missiles.

At the entry to our section of the ground there was a further search. When only two fans were being searched and allowed in at a time, with hundreds arriving, serious crushing was inevitable. The Italian police reaction to any impatience or pushing was to strike out with riot sticks at anyone who happened to get in the way.

Events inside the stadium have been well chronicled in the media but again the police did not seem interested in identifying and arresting the few instigators, merely in quelling the English in general by indiscriminate brutal beatings.

They let us out some two hours after the end of the game, with not an Italian fan in sight. The danger came from riot police who baton-charged fans several times as they were leaving in an orderly and happy way.

The whole episode has surely been a great deterrent to most law-abiding, football-loving fans who may have hoped to go to France for the World Cup finals next year. Until continental law-enforcement authorities can attain the professional standards displayed by our own police at football stadia in England no one in his right mind would want to repeat the experience of Rome.

IAN McDONALD

Director

Close Asset Finance Ltd

Surbiton, Surrey