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West Ham fans' Mafia jibe t-shirts spark Sicilian riot
Last updated at 15:07pm on 28.09.06
The shirt that sparked a riot in Sicily
The governor of Sicily has moved to try and quell any further trouble between West Ham and Palermo fans by producing 4,000 t-shirts complete with the slogan: "I hate the Mafia" emblazoned across them.
Hooligans from both sides fought running battles with police and each other overnight Wednesday ahead of last night's Uefa cup match.
In the first leg, West ham fans wore t-shirts with the words "Hammers vs The Mafia" across them which led to a diplomatic row.
The shirts, which featured a puppet-string figure similar to the log used in the Godfather films, caused outrage with Sicilian regional governor Salvatore Cuffaro claiming they were "offensive to all Sicilians".
Now it has emerged Mr Cuffaro has produced the new shirts – in Palermo's traditional pink and black colours – featuring the slogan: "La Mafia mi fa schifo. La Liberta e' cosa nostra."
It translates as "I hate the Mafia. Freedom is our thing."
The shirts were due to be handed out free-of-charge before the match.
Presenting the shirts, Mr Cuffaro said they were a farewell gift to West Ham fans: "This is how we've decided to welcome the English fans, so we can leave the whole business behind."
Palermo lead 1-0 ahead of tonight's second leg.
