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CATANIA, Sicily -- A police officer was killed Friday after fans rioted at a game between two Sicilian teams, prompting the Italian football federation to suspend all Serie A and B matches this weekend.
Italy's national team matches have also been suspended following the death of a policeman at a match in Catania, Italy's team manager said on Friday.
Gigi Riva told Sky Italia TV that the suspension of matches, imposed by Italy's soccer federation, also applied to the national team.
World champions Italy were scheduled to entertain Romania in a friendly on Wednesday.
The world champions are due to host Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier on March 28. They are third in Group B two points behind the Scots and France.
Fans fought at Friday's Catania-Palermo match, forcing the game to be temporarily suspended in the 58th minute -- with Palermo leading 1-0 -- after tear gas filled Catania's Angelo Massimino stadium.
The ANSA and Apcom news agencies said the officer died after an explosive device was thrown at him.
The violence continued after the game, in which Palermo beat Catania 2-1.
Federation commissioner Luca Pancalli called an emergency meeting in Rome late Friday, and announced he was canceling all games, the federation said.
The federation said that another police officer was in critical condition, and police said dozens of people with lesser injuries had been taken to local hospitals.
"I'm very disappointed," Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin said of the clashes. "What happened tonight offends sport and a beautiful city like Catania."
Andrea Caracciolo put Palermo ahead in the 50th minute for his second goal of the season. The match was temporarily suspended eight minutes later because of tear gas.
Police had released the gas following skirmishes with Palermo fans inside and outside the ground.
Forty minutes later, the game resumed and Fabio Caserta equalized almost immediately in the 59th.
David Di Michele restored Palermo's lead in the 83rd to consolidate the club's third place in the Serie A standings.
Palermo has 42 points, only four fewer than second-placed AS Roma which plays Serie A leader Inter Milan on Sunday. Inter has 57 points.
Until Caracciolo's goal, the derby lacked the on-field drama of Palermo's 5-3 win in September.
Both teams were forced to withdraw from the pitch when the tear gas spread throughout the stadium, shortly after Caracciolo spun and shot from the edge of the area to give Palermo a 1-0 advantage.
When the game resumed, Catania was the more alert and Caserta struck his equalizer from close range.
Di Michele scored the winning goal off a corner but appeared to handle the ball before it ricocheted off his knee into the net.
"(The clashes) penalized the spectacle and we will ask that the game be voided because of it," Catania president Nino Pulvirenti said.
"We were beaten by two goals, the first of which looked offside to me and the second was a blatant handball."
