Soccer-Serie A calls for fan protest clampdown

By Terry Daley ROME, March 29 (Reuters) - Serie A officials have demanded a clampdown on fan protests as they said a series of demonstrations have damaged the clubs and the image of Italian football. "The National Professional League of Serie A denounces... some fans who... engage in actions aimed at damaging the club, the team and the players," the league said in a press release. "For some time some clubs have been subjected to attacks that have negative effect on the environment around the club and their ability to generate investment, such as stadium boycotts or chants and banners that cause harm to and sanctions against the clubs. "Even worse is the damage to image caused by orchestrated insulting chants which when captured by the media, harm the image of our football, the clubs and their cities. "The League urges the powers that be to defend the autonomy and prestige of football clubs and to firmly oppose these organised, degenerate and unacceptable attacks." Fan protests are a common occurrence in Italy, with large numbers turning out to barrack their teams at training grounds or outside stadiums when results do not go their way. The most high profile case so far this season has been Lazio fans' battle with owner Claudio Lotito, who is blamed for their mediocre results and is also criticised for not investing in the team. The supporters marched to the Stadio Olimpico before Lazio's 3-2 win against Sassuolo last month, during which they focused all their attention on their president rather than the match. They then boycotted their 1-0 home defeat by Atalanta on March 9, leaving banners draped over seats that read "it's him or us" and "Lazio is ours and we will leave it to our children." They also demonstrated outside Lotito's offices after the controversial sale of Brazilian midfielder Hernanes in January to Inter Milan, where he is having a big impact. However, the campaign has been littered with similar protests, with fans of relegation-threatened Bologna demanding that club president Albano Guaraldi sell the club. Even high-flying AS Roma, who are second in Serie A having only lost twice all season, started their campaign under siege from livid fans who were outraged by two years of mid-table football. (Reporting by Terry Daley, editing by Pritha Sarkar)