Police said Monday that eight
people were arrested in running battles in the Sicilian capital
before Sunday's Serie A match between Palermo and Lazio.
Half of the arrested youths were locals, while the other
half were followers of the Roman visitors.
The match, which Lazio won 3-0, was twice interrupted after
Palermo fans threw flares and firecrackers on the pitch. The
Sicilian side are third-bottom in Serie A and risk relegation to
the second tier after seven changes of coach this season.
In addition to the arrests, a 21-year-old from Palermo who
is in hospital with injuries sustained in the violence was cited
to prosecutors.
Commentators expressed alarm at the fact that fans had
managed to get into the ground with large firecrackers, given
concerns about the threat of terrorism in the wake of the
attacks in Paris and Brussels. One of the firecrackers exploded
very close to Lazio's Italy midfielder Antonio Candreva.
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