Rome's Stadio Olimpico Changes Have Been Announced

The Stadio Olimpico barriers will remain, but "more stewards and fewer police will be used" after a meeting with Serie A sides Roma and Lazio, according to FOOTBALL ITALIA. Fans from both sets of clubs have been "boycotting home games this season after the decision from the city Prefect to install barriers dividing the Curve" -- the ends where the hard-core supporters usually sit. Tuesday, Roma and Lazio representatives "met with the city council and a statement was released, but it may well not be enough to break the boycott." The statement notes that they will "introduce channels for clubs to dialogue with the fans, so that issues regarding the entrance to the stadium and ultras initiatives such as banners and choreography will be discussed with the club and no longer via the police." There will be more stewards and fewer police officers in the stadium, "reserving police for the initial filtering area as more of an anti-terrorism safeguard" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 2/9).