Fan battle in Udine

Fan brawl in Italy: Salzburg fans arrested

The fans of the Udinese Calcio soccer club maintain friendly contacts with Salzburg

(Bild: AFP/APA/ANDREA PATTARO)

Supporters of Italian first division soccer club Udinese Calcio stopped and attacked a train carrying tifosi from rival club Venezia FC on Saturday evening with the support of Salzburg fans, with whom they have had a partnership for years. Five Salzburg fans were arrested as a result. Western League club Austria Salzburg also responded to the incident in the "Krone" newspaper.

The incident occurred after the Udinese-Venezia match (3:2) on Saturday afternoon. At least six Salzburg players were injured and five others were taken to the police station, according to media reports.

In order to stop the train from Udine to Venice with many Venetian fans on board, around 50 masked Udinese hooligans armed with batons and sticks lit several fires on the tracks. They were supported by several fans of Austria Salzburg. The train was stopped near Basiliano station shortly after leaving Udine. Basiliano is about 14 kilometers from Udine.

Hooligans threw stones at the carriages
To force the train to stop, the hooligans threw stones at the carriages. According to the police, there were around 300 Venice fans and around 130 other passengers in the carriages who had not attended the soccer match and were frightened by the attack.

When the stone-throwing began, numerous Venice hooligans stormed out of the train. This led to violent clashes. The brawl only lasted a few minutes, however, as the police intervened. A police helicopter played a decisive role, reaching and flying over the area immediately after receiving the emergency call, illuminating the area and putting the attackers to flight.

Two of the most seriously injured - a Venetian and a man from Salzburg - were taken to hospital in Udine, but their lives are not in danger, according to media reports. Five other Salzburg fans and two Udine fans suffered severe bruising but refused to be taken to hospital. Two police officers had to be treated in the emergency room.

Police arrested eight people
At the end of the clashes, the police arrested eight people and took them to the police station in Udine. According to the police, the suspected members of the group of attackers were five Austrian citizens, one Bosnian living in Austria and two Friulians.

They are being held in the Udine prison and are due to undergo summary proceedings in court on Monday, according to a Udine police spokesman. They are accused of disrupting rail traffic, violence, resisting the police and using firecrackers and sticks during a sporting event.

Riots during the match
The train was able to continue its journey to Venice after one and a half hours. There had already been rioting during the A match in Udine, with smoke being thrown onto the pitch. Security measures were tightened for the match.

The police in Udine had been informed of Salzburg's presence. However, they had obviously not expected an attack in Basiliano, where the train was not supposed to stop as it is a secondary station.

25-year fan friendship with Austria Salzburg
The so-called fan friendship between the supporters from Udine and Austria Salzburg has existed for more than 25 years. "Countless reciprocal visits, choreographies and celebrations have promoted the exchange between Friuli and Salzburg and created numerous personal friendships. The media's identification of the detainees as Austria fans is therefore obvious," the Regionalliga West club wrote in an official statement.

The club went on to say: "It goes without saying that we firmly reject any form of violence! Although as a sports club we would prefer to focus solely on soccer, we would like to remind you how much we have tackled the associated problems within our sphere of activity and have thus consistently stood for a fair and sporting soccer culture for many years."

Italian clubs condemn incidents
Both Italian clubs involved also condemned the incidents. "The true fans of Udinese Calcio have always been correct and share our values, those who tarnish the sport with violence are not fans," emphasized the home club. "We trust the work of the competent authorities so that those responsible for these unacceptable incidents are identified and punished according to the law," Venezia said in a statement. "Our thoughts are first and foremost with the injured and their families."

Head of government Giorgia Meloni expects strict penalties
The case is now also of concern to the Italian government. "The attack on the train and the unprecedented violence by a group of rioters is unacceptable", declared Luca Ciriani, Minister for Relations with Parliament, who comes from Friuli and is a member of the Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "I am sure that those responsible for this regrettable act will be condemned with the utmost severity."