CONI President Gianni Petrucci has defended Italian football after an attack from England boss Fabio Capello.

Capello claimed football in the peninsula was run by its hardline supporters and that clubs were afraid of clamping down on the more violent elements.

"The English certainly can't lecture us about the birth of a sporting culture," snapped Petrucci, President of the Italian Olympic Committee.

"It is, after all, no coincidence that throughout the world violent fans are known as 'hooligans' - an English word."

He added: "We have made giant leaps forward, as scuffles and public disorder have dropped considerably. Of course there are still a few incidents, but it is not true that clubs are held hostage by the Ultras.

"Just look at [Lazio President Claudio] Lotito, who fought and won a battle with the Ultras of his club. Capello's statements may have been true years ago, but not now."