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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT PHASE: Important as the Chelsea versus Inter Milan tie might be for both clubs, Paddy Agnewsays it is arguably even more important for the entire Italian football movement

SO, HOW is Italian football and how does she stand? Perhaps the most accurate answer would be to point out that in the week before the restart of the Champions League, Italian football commentators were concerned with other issues – the violent death of a police inspector at a Serie A game in Sicily three years ago; fan riots at Lazio’s training centre this week; the arrest of four “hooligans” in Naples; skirmishes between police and fans at last weekend’s Serie A games in Florence, Reggio Calabria and Rome; the 14th Serie A coach to be sacked this season (Davide Ballardini of Lazio, replaced by Eddy Reja).