The Brazilian football star Kaka Tuesday said that the violence
in Italy made him quite uncomfortable.
"Certainly, I could leave. It's not the first time that this has
happened," said Kaka during his first practice with the Brazilian
national squad.
"Last year it was the Italian soccer scandal. There was also the
problem of violence similar to what happened this time. This sport
is fun; you need to participate with pleasure.
"When you are not in a place where this takes place, you begin
to think about alternatives," said Kaka.
Last Sunday, a fan of Lazio was killed by a shot fired from a
policeman. After the announcement of the tragedy, a wave of
violence and intolerance among the organized groups of fans
provoked the cancellation of many games.
"It is really sad. He was a direct victim. Milan did not play
because fans got in the way," Kaka said.
"And, unfortunately, this is not the first time in the Italian
Championship. It's something that goes far beyond soccer.
"It is a social problem of the country. People are taking
problems from outside the stadium onto the field. The government
needs to react one way or another," he added.
Kaka also compared the violence in Italy with the wave of
kidnappings related to Brazilian soccer players.
"It is different. The kidnappings here scare me much more. But,
the violence in Italy still remains worrisome. Many times, players
have families sitting in the crowd."
Brazil's coach Dunga praised Kaka's attitude: "Violence is never
good. The decision is Kaka's. He should have thought before he
spoke. Everyone involved in the sport needs better means to control
violence."
(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2007)