Related: Italian police arrest 4 minors for Catania soccer riot

Widow of slain Italian police officer Filippo Raciti (1st R), son (2nd R) and daughter (M) attend Raciti's funeral in Catania February 5, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    ROME, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Italian government Wednesday tackled soccer hooliganism following the death of a policeman in rioting on Friday - the first policeman to die in decades of stadium violence.

    The bill being examined by the cabinet raises the maximum penalty for hooligan-related offenses from three years to 15 years.

    The previously announced measures, which tighten up a 2005 package that has never been fully applied, paved the way for the resumption of Serie A, which was suspended last weekend.

    Fans will not be allowed into stadiums that do not comply with security regulations.

    The quick resumption pleased most clubs but some grumbled about lost revenues and threatened to let fans in anyway.

    The clubs have also been arguing further delay would be tantamount to giving in to the troublemakers.

    Italian club chairmen have also complained about the cost of upgrading stadiums that do not belong to them.

    Most Italian grounds are owned by the local council.

    Many Serie A stadiums do not comply with laws passed to improve security in 2005 after a previous wave of hooliganism.

    The Italian Soccer Federation FIGC will present a list of up-to-scratch stadiums on Thursday morning.

    Only four grounds are believed to fully comply with the law: Rome's Olympic Stadium - home to AS Roma and Lazio - Turin's Olympic Stadium, Palermo's Stadio Barbera and Siena's Stadio Artemio Franchi.

    The 2005 law rules that stadiums must be equipped with video surveillance inside and outside the grounds and external lighting systems to help spot troublemakers.

    The police must have a special section of the stadium where they can coordinate their activities.

    It is also obligatory for stadiums to have turnstiles in order to prevent known hooligans and fans without tickets from sneaking in.

    There should be a series of barriers and gates at a set distance where stewards and police can "filter" the crowd to create a security cordon around the ground.

    Tickets must feature the buyer's name and the seat in the ground where they must sit - again to make it easier to identify hooligans.

    In additional measures, the government has banned block ticket sales to away fans, barred direct relations between clubs and fans groups, and extended by 12 hours the time fans can be arrested for hooliganism, from 36 to 48 hours.

    Hooligans may also be forced to perform "socially useful" jobs on match days, including removing graffiti and swilling out stadium toilets.

    A poll out Wednesday said a majority of Italians were in favor of stopping soccer for longer than a week.