Inter Milan risk being expelled from Europe
tribalfooball.com - March 07, 2007
Inter Milan face expulsion from all European competition after last night's scenes in Valencia.
The Nerazzurri were already on a warning from UEFA after the 2005 derby with Milan was abandoned due to the fans throwing flares on to the pitch, one of which struck goalkeeper Nelson Dida.
They had to play their first four home games behind closed doors this season and were handed a record £132,000 fine, but this latest incident will bring back calls for the club to be expelled.
It is still not entirely clear what started the melee in Valencia, but at the final whistle Nicolas Andre Burdisso entered into an argument with Carlos Marchena.
As teammates were pulling them apart, David Navarro came off the bench and threw a punch at Burdisso that fractured the Argentine's nose.
This sparked a furious reaction, as Julio Ricardo Cruz, Ivan Cordoba and Douglas Maicon chased Navarro across the pitch.
He was spotted on camera running back down the players' tunnel with a smile on his face and this further angered the Nerazzurri players.
It is now emerging that the brawl continued inside the arena, as Francesco Toldo dived in to the Valencia locker room to reach Navarro and Esteban Cambiasso and Luis Figo tried to force their way in after him.
The security forces had to intervene and Coach Roberto Mancini was seen trying to lead his men away, but the situation had degenerated to such a degree that there was little he could do.