Cagliari v Roma cancelled after president urges supporters to ignore authorities on fan ban

Sep 23, 2012 10:35:00 AM

The Serie A side’s new Is Arenas failed security tests & was set to be played behind closed doors this weekend, but chief Massimo Cellino’s public invite caused match postponement

Cagliari’s match on Sunday with Roma has been cancelled after fears over safety of fans at the hosts’ new stadium.

The Is Arenas was opened by Cagliari over the summer but is yet to pass security tests, meaning local authorities insisted the Serie A clash would take place behind closed doors.

However, club president Massimo Cellino had urged fans to ignore the authorities and attend regardless.

A club statement released before the match had been called off said: “Cagliari Calcio, represented by President Massimo Cellino and everyone who works for the club, can no longer see a future due to the bureaucratic difficulties and the collective disinterest of the authorities.

“We invite and ask all their fans who have a ticket or season ticket to come to the stadium and watch Cagliari-Roma in the full respect of order and civility.

“Cagliari Calcio and its engineers consider the structure to be adequate and secure.

“This move is absolutely peaceful and was pushed by the pain and frustration of defending our right to exist.”

But the club’s retaliation to the fan ban caused the game to be postponed instead of being played without a crowd.