Cells could be put into soccer grounds to hold hooligans who are caught red-handed, Italian Soccer League chief Antonio Matarrese said Thursday.
''If necessary we will build cells in stadiums to put hooligans straight into,'' Matarrese said at the launch of a fresh anti-hooliganism campaign.
''We have to change and apply the law. That way, if there are criminals, we can slam them into the cells and take them to jail later.
''Either we get tough or we surrender. We aren't going to surrender''.
The campaign, prompted by a hooligan resurgence at the start of the new season, features a series of TV, cinema and Internet ads.
''It is a campaign to raise awareness and promote the true values of sport and real supporters,'' Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said at the launch Thursday with Soccer League chief Antonio Matarrese and Soccer Federation head Giancarlo Abete.
The campaign will begin Friday on public broadcaster RAI with a 30-second spot switching from great moments on the field to violence off it.
The ads will start later this month on commercial broadcaster Mediaset, selected cinemas and websites of sports papers as well as mega-screens in grounds.
Players from all Serie A and Serie B clubs will take the field this weekend wearing a T-shirt saying 'Stop Violence'.
The T-shirt was unveiled at the interior ministry by Beijing Olympics boxing hero Clemente Russo.
Russo, from Naples, was among those who condemned the Napoli fan rampage that marred the first day of the season and led to fresh efforts to stamp out hooliganism.
''This a battle we can win together,'' Abete said.
''Club chairmen are doing their utmost. Some even have to go round with police escorts because they've stood up to violent fan groups,'' Matarrese said.
CLUBS SHOULD OWN GROUNDS, UEFA SAYS.
In Brussels, a UEFA official said Italian soccer clubs should own the grounds they play in to give them a vested interest in protecting them from fan violence.
''If teams are the owners of the stadiums in which they play they will have all the interest in stopping clashes and mayhem,'' UEFA's Brussels office chief Jonathan Hill said.
''If, on the other hand, as in Italy, grounds are the property of the municipal council, it becomes harder and more expensive for the clubs to manage them properly''.
Hill also called for a softer approach to policing.
''Another very important thing is the attitude of the police force,'' he said.
''I have seen matches in Italy where the visiting fans were tackled in a rough way by the police as soon as they got into the ground and that doesn't help improve the atmosphere; it increases tension''.
Asked about the measures taken to improve ground security, increase private stewarding and stiffen penalties, Hill said:
''It's not up to me to enter into the specifics of individual measures but I think the path taken is the right one''.
