(updates number questioned, adds details)
ROME, April 13 - A Liverpool fan suffered minor
head injuries in an attack by Juventus supporters in Turin
overnight, Italian police said on Wednesday.
Eight Juventus fans were questioned and reported for assault
and possession of weapons after police discovered iron bars and
baseball bats following the clash in a bar around midnight.
Liverpool play Juventus in a Champions League quarter-final
second leg at Turin's Delle Alpi stadium later on Wednesday.
Police intervened quickly ahead of the first match in Italy
between the two clubs since the 1985 Heysel Stadium tragedy in
which 39 mainly Italian supporters died after a charge by
Liverpool fans.
The overnight trouble flared when Juventus fans entered a
city centre pub where a handful of Liverpool supporters were
drinking.
The attack bore the hallmarks of a planned operation by a
group of around 20 hard-core Juventus "ultras", who toured the
city centre looking for Liverpool fans, ANSA news agency said.
To avoid detection by a much-increased police presence, some
of the "ultras" were accompanied by young women, who slipped
away when the Liverpool fans were spotted.
Assailants then covered their faces with black and white
scarves and burst into the pub, overturning chairs and tables
before attacking a small group of Liverpool fans, ANSA said.
Though they initially escaped in three cars that had been
parked near the pub, the "ultras" were quickly intercepted. The
metal bars and baseball bats were discovered in the cars.
SPECIAL UNITS
Italian police have been setting up special units to cope
with any troublemakers amid fears Italian fans may seek revenge
for the deaths before the 1985 European Cup final in Brussels.
Sale of alcohol has been banned in Turin and neighbouring
provinces for the game and the elite undercover police unit,
Digos, is putting strict security and surveillance in place.
Last week's first-leg at Anfield, which Liverpool won 2-1,
saw the English supporters call for friendship between the two
clubs and the city's local newspaper offered a full front page
apology for the role of Liverpool fans in the disaster.
However, a minority of Juventus supporters turned their
backs on a banner declaring 'Memory and Friendship' raising
fears of trouble in Turin in the return leg.
In a spirit of reconciliation, Juventus held a private
ceremony at their headquarters on Tuesday to honour the
supporters who lost their lives before the Heysel Stadium final,
which the Italians won 1-0.