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The authorities have worked hard to improve stadium security following the death of a policeman during riots at a Catania match in February but fighting outside Lazio’s Champions League qualifier with Dinamo Bucharest shows that the problem with soccer violence is far from being solved in Italy.

Entering the San Siro on Tuesday for a friendly tournament involving Milan, Inter and Juve was a lot like getting through airport security. Three rows of stewards and police checked identification documents, tickets and bags before I even got near to the ultra-modern electronic turnstile.

The only worrying issue was the ticketing policy, with frustrated fans queuing for ages to get a seat and almost causing a crush. The rush to distribute tickets to ease the congestion also led to rival fans being put in the same section but happily all was calm inside the arena.

Apart from some racist chanting in the grounds, the real problem is outside the stadiums in places that the football authorities cannot act — a fact largely ignored by the media and politicians.

The policeman in Catania was killed in his car, well away from the ground. The five Romanians injured ahead of the Lazio game were attacked outside the security ring at the Stadio Olimpico.

The perpetrators of these acts are often not soccer fans at all and just tag along to cause violence. Soccer needs help rather than constant condemnation.

Mark Meadows, Milan