Viola to drag Siena down? Tuesday 24 May, 2005
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There are worrying reports that Fiorentina supporters are planning a pitch invasion if they are relegated on Sunday – effectively dragging rivals Siena down with them.
The Viola are furious at the refereeing error that cost them precious points in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Lazio, as Luciano Zauri should have been sent off and given away a penalty for punching the ball off the line.
Now even a victory against Brescia might not be enough to keep them in the top flight, but angry fans are planning to take the matter into their own hands if the match ends in a draw.
The new zero tolerance policy on crowd trouble will see teams automatically lose a game 3-0 if there is a pitch invasion, even if it is a peaceful one. There are reports coming out of Florence that fans will stage this incident to give Brescia a 3-0 victory – effectively dooming hated rivals Siena to Serie B as well.
Siena will be safe if they manage to beat already relegated Atalanta, but if both ties are heading for a draw then the Viola could leave Serie A with one final act of petulance.
There are other layers to the final round of this season, as Sampdoria have the opportunity to push Bologna into a relegation play-off with a win at the Stadio Dall’Ara. It would be sweet revenge for the Blucerchiati, who were doomed to Serie B in 1999 after an extremely controversial 2-2 draw here.