Europa League Draw Sets Up Worst-Case Scenario For Dublin – And Uefa Are To Blame
Liverpool versus Roma would be a nightmare for the Irish capital because European football's ruling body has turned a blind eye to the violence of Roman ultras for four decades
Uefa breathed a sigh of relief this week. Rangers were knocked out of the Europa League. The possibility of Liverpool facing the Scottish club in the Dublin final terrified European football’s governing body.
They remain concerned about Liverpool reaching May’s showpiece game. As soon as they realised the Merseyside club were in the Europa League, Uefa approached the Allianz Arena about the possibility of switching the final to Munich.
The problems at the Champions League final against Real Madrid two years ago deepened Uefa’s worries about Liverpool fans. The Nyon-based organisation initially blamed ticketless supporters of the Premier League club for the chaos around the Stade de France but were forced to apologise after an independent report placed the blame squarely on Uefa and the French authorities.
Despite this, there are senior individuals within the ruling body who still see Liverpool supporters as a threat.
Nyon’s preferred scenario is that Liverpool get knocked out by Atalanta in the quarter-finals or at the last four stage where they could meet Benfica or Marseille. Their next favoured situation would be that West Ham United are eliminated. The thought of two Premier League clubs flooding Dublin with fans despite a shortage of tickets gives Uefa nightmares, even though the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Dublin authorities are confident they can cope with an influx of fans.
The FAI has beefed up its security and brought in two companies to manage the Aviva Stadium and the Garda understands that not only will there be a huge influx of supporters into Dublin from the UK but that Liverpool are one of the best supported clubs in Ireland. Many of those arriving in the capital in the event Jurgen Klopp’s team reach the final will be Irish citizens.
Uefa do not seem to have grasped the worst-case scenario: A Liverpool-Roma final. This is the matchup with the most potential for trouble.
Roma’s ultras hate Liverpool. Their antipathy goes back 40 years, when the teams met in the European Cup final at the Stadio Olimpico. This was effectively a home game for Roma and the Eternal City assumed the result was a foregone conclusion. Instead, Joe Fagan’s team took the trophy home after winning on penalties.
Rome erupted in violence. The frenzied assault on travelling fans set in motion a chain of events that would end in horror and tragedy at Heysel a year later.
Liverpool moved on from 1984, Rome did not. Every subsequent meeting between the teams has been marred by violence, mostly instigated by Romans.
The Italian capital is a dangerous place for away supporters, anyway. Roma and Lazio ultras practice puncicate, the act of stabbing a rival in the buttocks. Last week, two Brighton supporters were knifed. Uefa turn a blind eye to this venal behaviour.
The ultras tend to be less dangerous outside their home city but Roma's made a special effort to cause havoc when they came to Anfield for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final six years ago.
A group of up to 60 ultras rampaged through the streets behind the Kop, attacking locals with studded belts and sticks. They were looking for easy victims and found them.
They picked on Sean Cox simply because he was wearing a Liverpool scarf. The 53-year-old was beaten so badly he suffered catastrophic brain injuries. He had to learn to walk again and his ability to speak was severely damaged. The Irishman lives little more than 20 miles from the Aviva Stadium. Ireland has already had a taste of Roman fury. It does not need another.
Roma versus Liverpool in Dublin would be just about the worst fixture that could be held there. You could substitute any other city for the Irish capital, too, and it would still be a dangerously explosive event.
Uefa fear the wrong clubs. The stabbing of the Brighton fans – the latest in a long litany of similar attacks on supporters of clubs as diverse as Manchester United and Sevilla – should have caused the ruling body to kick Roma out of Europe. Instead, Uefa ignored it.
Dublin can cope with the final if Liverpool get there – even if they play West Ham. The only matchup to worry about is if Roma are the opponents. Then all bets are off.
Far Foreign Land describes the nightmare of Rome in 1984 and details how the night had an effect on what happened at Heysel a year later. It is available here, cost £10 UK, £15 Europe, £18 Rest Of World. All including postage