Violence leaves scar across Europe

Italian soccer authorities met yesterday to discuss measures aimed at tackling widespread fan violence sparked by the shooting of a Lazio supporter by a police officer on Sunday.

Following is a short chronology of some major incidents of soccer violence at club and international level since 1990:

January 1991 - A 16-year-old boy was killed in clashes between fans during a Greek first division match between AEK Athens and Olympiakos Piraeus.

January 1995 - Italian sports authorities suspended all national sport scheduled for the following Sunday after the killing of a young Genoa fan before a game with Milan.

March 1995 - A 17-year-old fan was killed in a fight after a Turkish first division derby match between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.

August 1995 - A Turkish supporter of Sakaryaspor was killed after being hit by a stone thrown by followers of Duzcespor.

March 1997 - An Ajax fan lost his life in a pre-arranged battle with supporters of Feyenoord.

March 1998 - A fan died after fighting following a match between English sides Gillingham and Fulham.

October 1999 - A fan was killed as Red Star Belgrade followers ripped up thousands of seats and clashed with riot police after a 2-0 defeat by city rivals Partizan.

April 2000 - Two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death in Istanbul before a UEFA Cup semi-final against Galatasaray.

April 2001 - A 25-year-old German died from head wounds sustained as he tried to escape from rioting fans at a friendly match between amateur side Darmstadt 98 and first-division Eintracht Frankfurt.

June 2002 - A man was stabbed to death and drunken soccer fans rioted in Moscow after Russia lost a World Cup game in Japan.

March 2003 - One Polish fan was killed and 120 arrested after street battles during a second-division match in the southwestern city of Wroclaw.

November 2006 - A policeman shot dead one man and injured another while under attack from Paris St Germain fans who were chasing a Jewish supporter of Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv at a UEFA Cup match.

February 2007 - A policeman was killed during fan clashes at a Serie A match between Catania and Palermo. The league was suspended for a period following the death and strict new safety rules brought in.

November 2007 - Enraged soccer fans rioted around parts of Italy after a clash between Lazio and Juventus fans led to the shooting of a Lazio supporter by a police officer in the Tuscan city of Arezzo, far from any stadium. Police said the shooting was an accident.

The match between Atalanta and Milan was abandoned after seven minutes when fans tried to break down a glass barrier keeping them from the pitch.

Two other Serie A matches - Inter vs Lazio and Roma vs Cagliari - were postponed.