The events in Naples have shown the failure of public order management models.
– When the challenges on the field translate into duels between fans, there are always at least three players in the game: the ultras of the two teams and the security systems. The former will seek any form of affirmation on their rival, the latter will have to prevent this duel from having serious consequences for the surrounding context. In Naples, the great absentees were precisely those apparatuses called to manage public order. And perhaps a total absence would have been preferable rather than a series of such crude interventions. The approach of the ministerial “chain of command” stood out for its superficial approach both in the days before and a few hours after the match, with respect to a question that should be the daily bread in certain offices;
– The travel ban on away fans was initially passed, then canceled by the TAR, then re-passed in a reduced form, i.e. replacing the draconian reference to all German citizens with a limitation only for those born and residing in Frankfurt. Some episodes that occurred before the first leg in Germany had raised the alarm, and then the fear of the twinning between Eintracht and Atalanta, the alleged “detonator” of the rivalry between the two fans. Yet one should have wondered whether, in terms of a detonator, banning German supporters from entering the stadium would only complicate the situation;
– We’re in the range of hypotheses, for heaven’s sake, but it’s not unlikely that the much clamor about the risks of this match, and about the measures so conspicuous (and rather unusual for those coming from outside) have only ended up increasing the climate of tension. Having “avoided” the expected exodus of thousands of German fans, we found ourselves grappling with a smaller handful and more inclined to seek victory on the street, the only objective left on the plate given the impossibility of accessing the stadium. The German ultras have taken their “walk”, and as expected the Neapolitan ones have appeared to show that they don’t take a walk in their house. And yet, although entirely predictable, the impression is strong that those in charge of public order have remained at the total mercy of the events, almost amazed by the fact that the travel ban has not by itself defused the problem;
– In fact, there was no initial containment, and there was no “clearing” of the transit areas for German fans, perhaps because there was no pre-established route for them, given that they would not have been able to access the stadium anyway. Remediation such as closure of commercial establishments, and the removal of various furnishings useful to become throwing objects. In the same arrangement in the square, the forces of order appeared unprepared, and trying to avoid contact between fans slipped into a funnel, ending up overwhelmed: lucky for them that in this case they weren’t the real object of interest of any of the parties. At least we must talk about superficial approach to the problem. Reminds in some respects i recent events of the A1with the clashes between the ultras of Rome and Naples: bringing together two rival fans, under escort and directed towards different shores, at the same service area remains something frankly inexplicable;
– The management of public order at sporting events is certainly not just an Italian problem: everyone remembers the mess made during the last Champions League final in Paris, where, thanks to the total absence of adequate pre-filtering in the stadium, the massive presence of Liverpool fans at the gates (part of which without tickets) sent the forces into panic of French police. The crowd was dispersed several times with tear gas and pepper spray with over 200 more or less minor injuries. More recently, there was Fiorentina’s move to Braga, where the classic “walk” towards the stadium of the purple ultras (accompanied by the twins from Sporting Lisbon) degenerated into clashes with the Portuguese police, with six arrests and several injuries caused by the use, by law enforcement, of rubber bullets at leg height. Having said that, the last few months have seen the Ministry of the Interior and its various appendages (prefects, observatory for sporting events, etc.) increasingly take the route of administrative denial as a means of managing matches. An extreme, strongly repressive, and useless proof of facts. Perhaps, in the button rooms, by dint of varring paperwork, the contact with the complexity of the phenomena has been lost.