Months after a match-fixing scandal rocked Italian soccer, the nation's favourite sport was again in shock when massive fan rioting claimed the life of a police officer and injured scores of other people.

The death of the 38-year-old policeman during a match between Sicilian sides Catania and Palermo has already caused soccer officials to suspend this weekend's matches _ the first time in over a decade.

It left politicians wonder how to confront violence in soccer stadiums, with many calling for zero-tolerance measures and others looking to Britain _ a country that has largely solved its hooliganism _ for possible solutions.

It was a harsh reality for a country that just months ago celebrated the national side's World Cup victory in Germany.

``Policeman killed, soccer under shock,'' read the headline of Italy's top newspaper Corriere della Sera. ``We are talking about a cancer, not a seasonal flu,'' wrote Gianni Mura, a leading soccer commentator, in Saturday's editions of La Repubblica.

In a country where soccer is a religion for many, the Vatican paper also weighed in, calling the policeman's death ``unacceptable folly.''

``Let's acknowledge this: soccer in Italy dies last night with the policeman,'' said L'Osservatore Romano.

The rioting outside Catania's Angelo Massimino stadium started during the second half of the match. Police fired tear gas, which wafted into the stadium and forced the match to be temporarily suspended.

The violence continued after the game, in which Palermo beat Catania 2-1, trapping hundreds of fans inside the stadium as authorities sought to avoid further violence. More than 70 people were injured.

The officer, 38-year-old Chief Inspector Filippo Raciti, died after an explosive device was thrown into his vehicle, police said.

It was the second soccer-related death in less than a week, after a fourth-division team manager died last Saturday from injuries he received when he tried to stop a brawl during a game.

The most recent death in Serie A was in 1995, when 25-year-old Genoa fan Vincenzo Spagnolo was stabbed to death before a match between his team and AC Milan.

UEFA president Michel Platini expressed concern over the latest episode of violence in European soccer, and vowed to work with Italy to fight it.

The Italian soccer federation also cancelled Wednesday's friendly between Italy and Romania, and threatened to extend the suspension.

Italian premier Romano Prodi promised drastic measures and a ``radical change.''

``People must understand that there must be a turning point,'' he said. ``We can't keep risking the lives of law police officers.''

Prodi said the interior minister, Giuliano Amato, and the sports minister, Giovanna Melandri, would meet Monday to discuss long-term measures. Amato, whose job puts him is in charge of the country's police, said he would not send officers to stadiums under the existing conditions.

Violence is not new to this soccer-crazed country. Fans have been caught throwing flares, coins or other objects that sometimes hit players or referees. In 2001, Inter Milan fans managed to ride a moped up to and around the mezzanine level of Milan's San Siro stadium; they then pushed the riderless bike down concrete stairs inside the stadium, sending other fans dodging for safety.

In 2005, faced with a surge in violence in stadiums across Italy, the conservative government led by Silvio Berlusconi passed tougher measures, including tickets with holders' names printed on them and video surveillance at stadiums with more than 10,000 seats.

Last year, soccer officials had a different problem to deal with, as the sport was engulfed in the worst match-fixing scandal in decades, leaving millions of fans disillusioned and angry. The scandal caused the demotion of powerhouse Juventus, while four other Serie A teams started the season with point penalties.

Even then there were suggestions that leagues should be halted until soccer was properly cleaned up _ but play resumed late last year as usual.

Following the violence, the president of the players' association, Sergio Campana, said soccer should shut down for a year. Given the business revolving around soccer, the proposal was little more than provocation, but many are wondering just how to tackle the problem.

Italy's World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi said soccer clubs needed to take more responsibility.

``The clubs should say to their fans that instead of acquiring players to reinforce their teams, the money is directed to guarantee safety, just like they do in England,'' Lippi told the ANSA news agency Saturday.

Soccer in Britain was plagued by hooliganism throughout the 1970s and '80s. English teams were banned from European competition for five years after 39 people were killed at the 1985 European Cup final at the Heysel stadium in Brussels when Liverpool fans charged their Juventus counterparts and a stadium wall collapsed.

After another stadium disaster in 1989, the British government passed legislation to improve safety at matches. All-seater stadiums were introduced, along with strict ticketing arrangements, registration of known hooligans and controls on alcohol.