Doors Locked For Many Italy Football Games

Football matches in Italy resume this weekend but many of the games will be played behind closed doors.

All play was suspended a week ago after rioting fans killed a policeman outside a stadium in Sicily.

Under tough new measures brought in by the government those not stadiums not in line with security will remain closed to fans.

One of those closed will be the famous San Siro stadium for AC Milan's game with Livorno.

Eleven of 22 matches in Italy's top two divisions will be played behind closed doors this weekend. Only six of the 18 stadiums in the top league Serie A are in line with the new regulations.

In Serie B, which kicks off on Saturday, the football federation says only two stadiums come up to the required standard but a further seven have been exemptions because there capacity is less than 10,000.

Under the new rules all the top stadiums will have to be fitted with closed circuit television cameras, numbered seating and electronic turnstiles.

Sports Minister Giovanna Melandri says security must come before everything else, but she said some stadiums only needed a few weeks to come up to standard.

There has been an angry reaction by some clubs. Many will have to re-imburse season ticket holders denied access to the games. But earlier threats from the clubs that they would not play behind without spectators have now been dropped.

The vice president of AC Milan, Adriano Galliani, said: "We have proved our sense of responsibility and decided to play. If a law passed then we must respect it. Our stadium is not outside the law, it is just that the legislation was passed before our renovation work was completed."