Serie A Could Resume on Sunday, Says Italian Football Federation Commissioner Pancalli

Italian football could restart as soon as Sunday, according to Luca Pancalli, commissioner of the Italian football federation, although his views have met with opposition from some of the country's sports and interior ministers.

Serie A and B clubs will meet today to discuss the government proposal of closing stadia deemed unsafe to the fans. "There are the means to return to play on Sunday," Pancalli said. "But we will have to wait until Wednesday's government meeting before making a final decision."

Pancalli attended a meeting yesterday with government officials to discuss long-term measures to curb fan violence, which were announced after all play was suspended following the death of policeman Filippo Raciti during rioting at the Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo on Friday.

Enrico Letta, under-secretary to prime minister Romano Prodi, said: "We will take urgent measures. Some of them will be reinforced and others will be innovations. The government will propose a law to Parliament regarding the relationship between clubs, stadia and the relationship of fans. The first regulations will be done immediately with an urgent decree and will be linked to the need of guaranteeing public order, which is the absolute priority."

Atalanta president Ivan Ruggeri has already voiced his concern regarding the possibility that most clubs could be playing behind closed doors. His club's Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia would be among those grounds that would be forced to play without fans as it fails to meet the current safety standards.

"If this is confirmed I will propose to the League not to play," he said. "I don't think it's fair for us to be hindered like this. I understand that it is a serious problem and we are all very hurt by what has happened. But frankly, I believe this decision is excessive. It would mean that 95% of the games will be staged without fans."

It is understood that only five stadia in Italy are currently acceptable in both Serie A and Serie B - the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the Artemio Franchi in Siena, the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Renzo Barbera in Palermo and Bologna's Renato Dall'Ara. Other grounds, such as the San Siro in Milan, do not fall far short of the guidelines which would allow fans to enter the stadium. Serie A clubs like Cagliari and Reggina have already made arrangements for their stadia to meet those safety requirements. "Work at the Granillo stadium has almost been finished," said Reggina president Pasquale Foti. "We are just missing certain details but by the time football restarts we should have everything in order."

An estimated €15m is lost by halting a day's games in Italian football, but interior minister Giuliano Amato told parliament that considerations of fan safety should be put before money. "We have a duty to resist the pressures that will come from the world of football," he said. "Because human life and the right to public safety are worth much more than economic interests." On Monday, Antonio Matarrese, who represents the financial interests of teams as head of the league, drew criticism for saying "the show must go on" and that matches should resume.

Some politicians and soccer officials called for Matarrese to resign, including infrastructure minister Antonio Di Pietro, who also said the football season should be halted altogether. "A few days' suspension are not enough to take far-reaching decisions," he argued. "Citizens would rightly feel duped."

·Richard Williams says municipal stadiums, ticket prices and a slapdash approach to policing must all be tackled in Italian football's facelift