Italian police chief warns Rangers fans face massive security blitz

Apr 20 2008 Gavin Berry In Florence

Exclusive Italian Security Boss Vows To Get Tough On Rangers Fans Florence Will Grind To A Halt On Day Of Crunch Uefa Cup Tie

RANGERS fans have been warned they will face hardline policing when they follow their team to Florence.

The Italian city's police chief described the security operation surrounding the UEFA Cup semi-final as the toughest since Pope John Paul II's funeral.

Francesco Tagliente is determined to impose the same strong-arm tactics they used on outraged Everton supporters this season and insisted:

No spare tickets will be on sale before the match.

Bars will shut for the day.

Public transport will grind to a halt leaving many fans stranded.

Police were rooting for Sporting Lisbon against Rangers in the last round for security reasons.

Rangers are due to play Fiorentina in the Italian city in the second leg of the tie on May 1.

When Everton visited Florence for an earlier UEFA Cup round in March, English fans were herded around by over-zealous cops and found many city centre bars closed.

Tagliente said: "The Everton fans complained about the treatment they received but these are our rules and they will be enforced.

"If Rangers fans do not respect our laws, we have measures in place and we will use them."

"I have made Florence the flagship city in Italy for weeding out criminals."

Rangers have been given 2183 briefs for the game but up to 10,000 supporters plan to travel to Florence. Tagliente advised them not to bother.

Fans will have to pass two security cordons before they even get near the Artemio Franchi stadium.

They face further mayhem with the game taking place on the May Day public holiday, meaning there will be no public transport.

Tagliente said: "We have never had anything like 10,000 away fans descending on the city before.

"I've not been involved in something so complex since the Pope's funeral. I was in charge of security for the 180 delegations of politicians and heads of state who came from around the world.

"From our point of view, it would probably have been easier if Sporting Lisbon had gone through. But I'm not going to be scared by this task."

Tagliente is one of the men who drew up tough tactics to tackle Italy's hooligan problem after the death of a policeman in Sicily last year.

And he was chief of security for the Italian national team when they won the 2006 World Cup.

He says ticketless supporters have no chance of getting into the stadium thanks to a crackdown on touts.

Tagliente said: "Every ticket will have the holder's name on it and they will be asked to present ID at the turnstiles to confirm who they are.

"If they have a genuine ticket but no ID, they will not be allowed in.

"Fiorentina fans cannot sell their tickets on because their name is already on the ticket and we have all but eliminated the touts here.

"Rangers fans who arrive without tickets will not find any here. They simply do not exist. The home end has been sold out for some time.

"Rangers fans will be asked for their passports at the airport and on trains. They will be photocopied so we know who is here and why.

"If anyone is thinking of travelling without a ticket, don't. We don't even have enough pubs for everyone to watch the game on TV.

"Public transport will close down for the day. Trying to get more than 40,000 fans to the stadium without buses is going to be pretty much impossible."

He insisted his officers will not relax the rules like their Milan colleagues did for Celtic last season.

Tagliente said: "Milan is different to Florence. Here we apply the rules."

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