[Forza_Roma]

Not good news for Livorno.......

Livorno suffer UEFA closure
Tuesday 13 February, 2007
Livorno will play their UEFA Cup tie with Espanyol behind closed doors, a special commission said on Tuesday.

The Tuscan minnows qualified for the last 32 after coming third in Group A, but Wednesday’s 20.45 game at the Armando Picchi will be shut to fans.

The venue doesn’t comply with new safety regulations in Italy and a commission failed to grant it the necessary certificate this afternoon.

Livorno had asked to reduce the venue’s capacity to under 7,500 – thus making it exempt from the Legge Pisanu rules – but that request was rejected too.

Livorno and Espanyol have never met in European competition before, but the Spanish club has been drawn against Italian sides on three previous occasions.

They beat Milan and Inter in 1987-88 and then drew 1-1 against Palermo in last season’s UEFA Cup group stage.

The second leg will be played on February 22. The aggregate winners will face CSKA Moscow or Maccabi Haifa in the last 16, with the first leg scheduled for March 8.

channel4.com - Football Italia