Serie A game suspended after fans and riot police clash as ultras threaten to storm pitch

The final day of Serie A was incredibly eventful as shameful scenes of fan violence caused one match to be suspended on an ‘embarrassing’ night for Italian football

The final day of Serie A descended into chaos after the Turin derby between Juventus and Torino was suspended following crowd violence.

Juventus travelled the short distance to the home of their city rivals as they looked to sneak into the Champions League places on the final day. Another miserable season for the Old Lady means Italy’s most successful club is fighting for European football, not titles.

Luciano Spaletti’s side started the day two points behind Como in fourth place, with only the top four qualifying for a place from Serie A. Juventus’ clash was due to start at the same time as the games involving Roma, Como and AC Milan.

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However, the start of the match was postponed by an hour after clashes between supporters outside the ground. Footage on social media shows supporters clashing with opposition fans and riot police.

It’s reported that Juventus’ ultras then entered the stadium in the away end and asked the players not to play the game because a fan was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Speaking to Sky Italia, Juventus chief executive Damien Comolli said: “It is extremely sad. We are very worried. Sorry about this. When I talk about fans I get a bit emotional because I grew up a football fan. We are concerned about what is happening outside. It’s very sad; this isn’t what we want to see in football.”

Juve captain Manuel Locatelli and defender Federico Gatti went over to talk to the ultras in the away end. Players initially returned to the dressing room as fans told the midfielder they would invade the pitch if the match went ahead.

Kick-off was eventually postponed by an hour and the match started with many fans from both teams having walked out of the stadium.

The delayed kick-off jeopardised the fairness of the games with Juventus’ Champions League rivals finishing their matches before the Turin side even kicked off their second half.

The Athletic’s Serie A reporter James Horncastle summed up the scenes by saying: “Embarrassing evening that sums up the whole season.”

However, Roma confirmed a 3rd place finish after beating already relegated Hellas Verona 2-0 to secure their first Champions League campaign in seven years.

Elsewhere, Como relegated 10-man Cremonese in a 4-1 win in which the hosts had three players sent off, including two substitutes, in the space of one minute when Como were awarded a penalty, to book their spot in Europe’s top competition for the first time ever.

Meanwhile, Milan were beaten 2-1 at San Siro by Cagliari as their capitulation at the business end of the season saw the once title challengers finish in 6th and a Europa League position. Regardless of their result against Torino, Juventus will finish in 5th place and join Milan in the Europa League.