Funeral for Italian Cop Killed in Football Riot

Thousands of Italians have attended a funeral in the Sicilian town of Catania for a policeman killed during a violent riot between football fans on Friday.

Mourners clapped as Filippo Raciti's flag-draped coffin was taken into the cathedral square and across the country people observed a minute's silence.

The Pope has condemned the post-match clashes between fans and police.

In Rome, the sports minister is meeting senior football and Olympic officials to discuss the future of the game.

All matches - both domestic and international - were immediately suspended after the death of 38-year-old Mr Raciti.

Although he was initially believed to have died when a homemade bomb was hurled into his vehicle, a post-mortem revealed that a blow from a blunt object caused the injuries which killed him.

The square in front of Catania cathedral was packed with thousands of people, many of them football fans, who turned out to pay their respects to Mr Raciti.

Inside the cathedral it was similarly packed as government ministers joined the slain officer's friends and family for the service which was broadcast live on Italian television.