Rome's police chief defends tactics

Rome‘s Prefect of Police Achille Serra has claimed his men had no choice but to quell trouble between Roma and Manchester United supporters on Wednesday and claimed the officers on duty had come under threat from English supporters.

Serra was speaking at a press conference in Rome in which he showed video images to back up his version of events in which he claimed United fans provoked the trouble.

Serra said: “At the moment when Roma scored the first goal, 100 or 200 drunken (United) supporters can be seen rushing towards the see-through barrier that separated the visiting enclosure from the Curva Nord.

“And from that part (the Curva Nord, where Roma fans were gathered) some stonethrowers rushed towards the English sector but were restrained by the stewards.

“At that point the intervention of agents (policeman) was necessary to secure the see-through barrier to avoid a clash between the two sets of supporters that would have been impossible to manage.”

The chief also claimed his own men had been placed in danger.

“They were surrounded by around 300 fans with their backs to the barrier without the possibility of reaction,” said Serra.

“And on the film you can see an English fan with his face covered who is inciting the other supporters to attack the police.

“And it does not end there – there are another 20 seconds in which bottles were thrown and 15 seating covers by drunken and angry fans.”

Regarding the tactics used by police to quell the trouble, Serra said: “These are high-risk games and if there has been any excess action will certainly be taken.

“But at the moment it does not seem to me that the police acted in an incorrect manner.”