Catania supporters have been banned from attending Saturday’s Serie A game at Inter with the Italian authorities continuing their clamp down after Napoli fans rioted on the opening day of the season.
But Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has signalled his intention to adopt a hardline approach this season.
“From now on, if a match is considered high risk, away fans will automatically be banned and if it’s considered very high risk I’ll consider having it played behind closed doors,” Maroni told a Senate commission on Wednesday.
“There will be no tolerance of violence,” he added as he announced that he was stopping Catania fans from travelling after Italian football’s security body (CASMS) had previously given them the go ahead to attend Saturday’s visit to the San Siro.
CASMS had already banned Fiorentina and Milan fans from their respective Sunday games at Napoli and Genoa, considering them high risk encounters.
Maroni said clubs whose fans caused serious disturbances risked having them banned from away games all season, like Napoli’s.
The Naples team’s supporters were involved in violence during their opening day visit to Roma on August 31, when a train was vandalised causing €500,000 in damage.
