Fifteen years ago today, police officer Filippo Raciti died during clashes with Catania fans after the derby with Palermo, leading to a radical change in Italian football.
It was one of the darkest nights in the history of Calcio. The game between Catania and Palermo was originally scheduled to be played on February 4 but was brought to February 2 to avoid clashing with the St. Agatha celebrations in Catania.
There was tension between the two fanbases during the match with Palermo fans who entered the stadium in the second half due to organizational problems.
The match was suspended for some good 40 minutes when ultras started throwing smoke bombs and firecrackers forcing police to reply. Palermo eventually won the match 2-1, but the violence didn’t stop.
A group of Catania fans clashed with Police outside the stadium after the final whistle. Raciti, 38, was among those involved and died as a result of liver damage provoked by a homemade firecracker.
His death caused outrage in Italy. Serie A was suspended for a week and even La Nazionale, who had won the World Cup just six months earlier, cancelled a friendly encounter.
Italian football has changed drastically since, especially inside the stadiums. After Raciti’s death, the Italian government made stewards mandatory inside stadiums to avoid clashes between police officers and ultras.
This measure has led to fewer incidents inside and outside stadiums during matchdays. The fans’ access to stadiums has also been changed. Clubs had to put gates outside the stadiums and every ticket had to be entitled to the holder who had to respect the seat he had been assigned when the ticket was bought.
It still doesn’t happen all the time, especially in Curva, the sections dedicate to ultras, but overall attending Italian games at stadiums haven’t been the same since Raciti died.
As it usually happens in this country, a much-needed and common-sense change had been postponed until the inevitable happened.
Although the level of control and organization inside Italian stadiums has not reached the same level as in the rest of Europe, especially England, going to the stadium in Italy is now far less dangerous than it was 15 years ago.
The problem is that this target could have been achieved without the death of a 38-year-old man.
Raciti’s wife Marisa Grasso took part in a ceremony in Catania today to pay tribute to his husband.
“We must be aware that the sorrow of that day 15 years ago has turned into a message of education and non-violence,” she said.
“Today, this message is even stronger and is full of love and respect for everyone’s life.”
Calcio Catania remembered the Police officer with a statement on their official website.
“Calcio Catania do not forget a valiant guardian of the order, a symbol of civic sense, altruism and exceptional spirit of service, pushed to the extreme sacrifice. Our thoughts are with the Raciti family.”