A minimum of three Real Sociedad hooligans have suffered knife injuries during clashes with Lazio fans in the Italian capital. The Txuri-Urdin are due to face Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday night, but the tie has been mired by violence in the earlier hours of the morning.
As reported by Relevo, a fight took place on Leonina Street in the Italian capital outside Finnegan’s Pub, where around 80 Lazio ultras belonging to the group Ultras Lazio, who are part of ‘Curva Nord’ attacked ultras from the so-called ‘RS Firm’ in a violent clash. Objects and chairs were thrown during the clashes, that also saw flares launched into the mix.
After a few minutes, the Real Sociedad side of the fight deserted the scene, but three of their number were rushed to hospital for emergency care after suffering stab wouds. The latest update is that none of the three are facing life-threatening injuries, but two are serious wounds. The official number is three, but unofficial figures say that there in fact nine Real Sociedad fans suffering knife injuries.
After the police arrived on the scene, the Lazio ultras also fled the scene, but some of those arrested that did not get away were found with various weapons on them, including tools, hammers, switchblades, chains and jacks. Cadena Cope say the police are reviewing CCTV footage to identify the culprits.
This is not the first time that the Europa League has seen violent incidents this season. Athletic Club fans traveling to Rome earlier this season were attacked by ultras of Lazio’s rivals earlier this season, while there were also violent clashes between the RS Firm and Anderlecht fans in September. That incident was strongly condemned by Real Sociedad, but it appears hooligan violence is on the rise again in European football.
