Politicians back police

Clashes between rival supporters and police during the Champions League tie injured at least 18 fans - 15 of them English.

European soccer's governing body has opened an investigation into the violence, while United asked the British government to do the same.

But Italian Economy ministry under-secretary Paolo Cento, who also chairs a club of Roma supporters in parliament, said the blame lay with the English club - which had warned travelling fans that they could be attacked in Rome - rather than with the police.

"It was Manchester that a few days before the match created a mood of tension, talking of a city of violence and danger," Cento told ANSA news agency.

"Now the English club must apologise to Rome and Italy, rather than asking for (Prime Minister Tony) Blair to intervene."

English fans did not follow police orders such as a ban on bringing alcohol into the stadium, he said.

Italy's Senate vice-president Mario Baccini said Italian police at the match were far more restrained than their foreign counterparts usually are.

"The police forces did their duty, isolating troublemakers and permitting the game to continue properly," Baccini said.

"Certainly, they did less than what foreign police do to Italian fans following our teams."

Right-wing politician Maurizio Gasparri, who was at Rome's Olympic stadium during the game, also said the English fans had nothing to complain about.

"The English authorities have no reasons to protest, at least from what I saw yesterday at the stadium where police conduct was normal considering what was happening," he told ANSA.

"Yesterday evening, there was no mood of great tension. The police limited themselves to keeping away some fans who were throwing objects at the Roma fans. That wasn't a big deal."

Trouble began inside the stadium after Roma took the lead just before halftime when rival fans traded insults and threw objects from one section of the ground to the other.

Television pictures showed Italian police launching themselves at United supporters with batons, leaving several of them bleeding heavily from head wounds.

One policeman was shown raining blows on a supporter who lay motionless on the ground.