Lazio v Tottenham: Italian football still mired in the dark ages of 'Ultra' violence, especially in Rome, the 'Stab City' Once again, in 2009, United fans were stabbed in the buttocks on the way to the stadium prior to the Champions League final against Barcelona. While other European - and indeed, Italian - cities have proven to be dangerous places to visit for English football fans, Rome has earned notoriety for the regularity with which the so-called 'Ultras' target unwitting visitors. The deaths of two Leeds supporters in Istanbul in 2000, prior to a Uefa Cup tie against Galatasaray, highlight that Rome is not alone when it comes to knife attacks on English fans. But Istanbul has since staged a trouble-free Champions League final in 2005, while only this week, 800 Manchester United supporters returned safely from the city following a clash against Galatasaray at the Turk Telekom Arena. Istanbul has worked hard to clean up its image, but Rome is a repeat offender. The city may be a tourist trap, but it also has its menacing side, which is personified by the supporters of Lazio and Roma, the city's bitter football rivals. Both have their 'Ultras', the fanatical, often violent, section of fans who take their support of one, and hatred of the other, to extreme levels. Derby clashes between the pair are often marred by violence, but clashes at motorway service stations throughout Italy are not uncommon between 'Ultras' from the Roman clubs and those from Turin, Milan, Genoa and Naples. Yet when English teams arrive, the Ultras regard the visiting supporters as targets due to the reputation, built in the 1980s, of hooligans following English clubs all over Europe. English football has long since moved on from those dark days, but Italian fans - particularly those in Rome - are stuck in the past. So while the treatment of the Tottenham supporters is sickening and shocking, do not expect it to be the last time it happens in Rome.