Not to diminsh the seriousness of the violence described below, but if you’re gonna go on a murderous rampage, shouldn’t it be for something a little bigger than a tournament to determine the 33rd best club side in Europe?
Axe-wielding Italian football hooligans stabbed three English fans and injured 10 more during a riot in Rome last night.
The infamous ‘Ultras’ thugs attacked a bar where around 200 Middlesbrough fans were drinking ahead of their team’s UEFA Cup second-leg clash with Roma tonight.
More than 30 Italian yobs, wearing masks and carrying knives, bottles and axes, descended on The Drunken Ship in Campo Dei Fiori between 10.45pm and 11.15pm.
A 38-year-old man, who had travelled to Rome with his 11-year-old son, was expected to be flown home today after undergoing surgery for serious stab wounds.
An 18-year-old and a 31-year-old, who were also stabbed, received treatment in hospital and were later released. Ten other Boro fans were treated for injuries, police said.