Soccer matches in Italy will resume this weekend, the football federation confirmed after the government approved a tough set of measures to fight hooliganism despite resistance by clubs.
Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy is likely to be moved from Bari after the Serie B club's San Nicola stadium was among those closed to supporters after last weekend's riots that claimed the life of an Italian policeman.
No firm decision has yet been taken on whether to find a new venue for the Group B clash on March 28th, although Rome would appear the most practical option.
Soccer matches in Italy will resume this weekend, the football federation confirmed after the government approved a tough set of measures to fight hooliganism despite resistance by clubs.
Under the new measures stadiums which are not in line with security regulations will remain closed to fans.
Only Rome's Stadio Olimpico, Genoa's Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Turin's Stadio Olimpico, Palermo's Stadio Renzo Barbera, Siena's Stadio Artemio Francho and Cagliari's Stadio Sant'Elia have been given the green light to allow fans to attend so far.
"The game has been scheduled for Bari but now the stadium is not available for football," a spokeswoman for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said today.
"At the moment the game is still scheduled for Bari but a decision will be taken in the days to come."
Scottish Football Association chief executive David Taylor told STV's Scotland Today: "Obviously that's a development which is not the most promising as far as the likelihood of the game going ahead in Bari is concerned.
"We expect to be out there next week having discussions with the Italian federation and others about the situation."
The San Nicola was seen as state-of-the-art when it was unveiled for the 1990 World Cup, and a year later it hosted the European Cup final between Red Star Belgrade and Marseille.
The 58,241-capacity venue was designed by the renowned architect Renzo Piano.
Senior Italian policeman Antonio Manganelli, whose team drew up the list of which stadia met the right requirements and which did not, admitted the situation remained fluid.
He said on federation website: "We will have other meetings. We have given our first assessment and in the next 24-48 hours we will make deeper studies to verify the suitability of stadia."
The SFA has asked Scottish fans to be patient over news about the venue. A spokesman said: "We are still waiting for information on the situation, which is causing concern and frustration for the thousands of Scotland supporters who are planning to visit Italy in March.
"There is considerable speculation but it should be treated with caution, as no firm decisions have been taken."
