Travelling supporters have found themselves facing the sharp end of a knife in Rome before - cases of "ultra" elements from Roma and Lazio attacking fans, particularly from England, and knifing them are rife. The Italian police has also on occasion been too forceful with supporters, sometimes justified and sometimes not. Media in England has accused the Italian police of systematically abusing their rights.

The Evening Gazette in the North East of England has campaigned for the Champions League Cup Final not to be held at the Stadio Olimpico. "We believe the outrageous behaviour of the club’s hardcore extremist fans has turned it into a toxic venue. That makes it not fit to stage European football’s biggest clash of the season," the newspaper said in a statement on its website.

Middlesbrough fans were stabbed after a Uefa Cup match in March 2006, after which the Gazette forwarded a 1000-name dossier of complaints against the Italian club from travelling Boro supporters to the European Parliament.

Even earlier, in 2001, knife attacks have been reported by travelling Liverpool supporters during the Uefa Cup clash between Liverpool and Roma.

The matter has attracted political interest and British MEP Stephen Hughes, who represents 1.2 million constituents, said: "I am sending a letter to UEFA calling for Roma to be suspended from all European leagues. I would strongly support the Gazette’s call for the Champions League final to be switched to another venue.The time has come when Roma have to be suspended from international football. Italy has to learn its lesson" as quoted by the Evening Gazette.

In March 2009, The Times of London reported after clashes between Roma and Arsenal fans, the Italian capital was facing a very realistic prospect of having the final relocated. Two Arsenal fans were injured when the coach taking them to the Stadio Olimpico was attacked by Roma supporters before the match, with one of the Arsenal fans stabbed in the leg as he came out of the bus.

In light of those events, and the beating of United fans by Roma police, there have been repeated calls in Britain to get the final out of Rome for good.

The stabbing of the Arsenal fan prompted The Times, like the Evening Gazette, to launch a campaign calling for the final to be switched and invited supporters to email and sign the on line petition.

The fears are that a lot of ticket less United and Barca will descend on Rome and altercations will inevitably break out around the stadium before and after the match. Each side has been allocated 19 500 tickets for the game, but the number of fans expected to arrive in the Rome capital is expected to be at least double that.

Uefa, the game's governing body in Europe, insists that there was no substantial evidence that would suggest that Rome was a violent city and that the Champions League final ought to be relocated. According to the BBC, Uefa and Italian authorities have been enraged by the "reputation" and the "stigmatisation" that Rome is rampant with fascist-ultras, knife-wielding supporters only awaiting their chance to stab foreigners.

"The security risk in Rome for a game involving non-Italian teams is considered low, even for the Italian authorities," William Gaillard, special adviser to Uefa president Michel Platini, was quoted as saying.

"What people need to understand is that it takes a long time to organise such an event and it is impossible to move a final just a couple of months before it takes place" he said. "That closes the case; the final will take place in Rome."

Rome security officials have said that they can handle the situation and that they have been accused of violence unjustly. They have released CCTV footage at a press conference on May 1 to show that it was United fans who reportedly "started the trouble by hurling bottles and attacking the stadium stewards before the police charged in" during the altercation in the stands at a match in in 2007.

Achille Serra, in charge of public safety in Rome, told reporters that the pictures proved United supporters were the cause of the trouble. "English fans rushed against the stadium staff," he said.