No sign of a solution to Italy's ultra violence

There was no sign of outrage from the 80,000 crowd as they trooped out of the San Siro stadium after the Champions League quarter-final between Inter and Milan was abandoned on Tuesday.

Few fans booed or whistled as Inter's 'ultras' hurled scores of flares on to the pitch, injuring Milan's goalkeeper Dida and forcing the game to be stopped for 25 minutes and then abandoned after a brief restart.

Another night of shame for Italian football underlined that ordinary supporters have grown wearily accustomed to their stadiums being used as battlegrounds by hardcore fans.

No one was surprised that flares, officially banned from stadiums, were in abundance despite police assertions they had carried out searches at the entrances to the San Siro.

Nor was there any shock that the handful of stewards and police around the North End of the stadium, home to the Inter ultras, did nothing to stop the wave of missiles.

Those who regularly attend matches in Italy, from small town games in Serie D to top flight European games, know the ultras operate in a 'no-go zone' for police. It often feels as if these fans are effectively in control of the venues.

That impression was hardened by last season's Rome derby. The game was abandoned after ultras came on to the pitch and told players and officials of a false rumour of a fan's death.

They demanded the game be halted. Their demand was met.

There are signs outside the San Siro saying it is an offence to bring flares and other potential missiles into the stadium.

As Lazio fans showed on Sunday, when they displayed illegal swastikas and fascist banners in their home end at a league match, ultras take no heed of rules and regulations.

Tuesday's incidents will be examined by UEFA's disciplinary body tomorrow and Inter face a heavy fine and the prospect of playing home European matches in front of an empty stadium.

The trouble happened 24 hours before another Champions League second leg between Juventus and Liverpool in Turin.

The two legs of the quarter-final were the first games between the sides since 39 mainly Italian fans were killed before the 1985 European Cup final at Brussels' Heysel Stadium.

While the 1980's problem of hooliganism has been suppressed in many parts of Europe, including England, Italy remains stricken by this social disease.

Following a series of incidents at matches across Italy at the weekend, Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu warned he would be prepared to close stadiums where trouble occurred, a threat that has been made before with no impact.

Yesterday a letter from Pisanu was published in the daily Corriere della Sera in which he urged all involved in the game to tackle the problem.

Stadium violence had "many faces".

"There are the fans who become violent because they have transformed the old spirit of local pride into violence and there are those who try to influence the decisions of their club with violence.

"There are those who are politicised and finally those who are not fans at all but who mix with supporters in order to practice violence as an instrument of political struggle, targeting police," Pisanu said.

"Against a phenomenon so complex there is not one response that alone will be effective.

"Everyone needs to do what is expected of them."