Ciro De Luca/Reuters
The city of Rome is bracing for an epic soccer match on May 2 when long-standing rivals Liverpool travel to the capital for the UEFA Champions League semi-final match. But the action is more likely to be outside the stadium as the city braces for potential violence at the hands of their own AS Roma fans. If history is any marker, there is plenty to worry about. In 2012, Roma’s far-right Ultras fans, whose trademark is to slash rival fans across the buttocks with switchblades, attacked drunk English fans at a sports bar in the downtown Campo dei Fiori with knives, lead pipes, and spurs attached to leather belts, injuring 13 fans. On April 24, when the two teams competed in Liverpool, Roma fans left a Liverpool fan in a coma after a post-match attack to avenge Roma's loss. The Italian capital is so concerned about the safety of the English fans they are providing police escorts to the stadium for ticket holders and banning all alcohol from being sold in the city for 24 hours or served at any of the city’s thousands of outdoor cafes and bars. The mayor's office has called it a necessary precaution. England fans have been told to completely avoid certain parts of the city where AS Roma fans are known to revel. The stadium will be opened for England fans only three hours ahead of the match and they will be kept in the stadium while the Roma cheering sections are vacated.