ROME - Italy's government announced new security measures for soccer stadiums yesterday, raising hopes that matches could resume this weekend, as the nation mourned the death of a policeman killed by rioting fans.

The death of 38-year-old Filippo Raciti Friday after a Serie A match between Catania and Palermo led to the indefinite suspension of all soccer matches in Italy. Interior Minister Giuliano Amato told a news conference stadiums which do not meet safety regulations will have to hold matches behind closed doors without spectators.

The block sale of tickets to away fans would also be stopped, and police given the power to make arrests without a warrant for football violence offenses¹ up to 48 hours after the crime, Amato said.

He added that the existing system of stadium bans for those found guilty of violence at matches would be beefed up to include the under-18s.

The commissioner² of the Italian Football Federation³, Luca Pancalli, said a decision about when to restart play would be made by Thursday after a meeting of the Italian cabinet to approve the new measures on Wednesday. raise hope 寄希望于  resume v.重新开始 mourn v.哀悼
riot v.骚动；骚乱  indefinite  adj.不确定的 spectator n.观众
block sale  成批出售交易 warrant n. 正当理由、许可证
beef up [口]加强, 补充(人数, 兵力)等