According to the Ansa press agency the incident happened when two police officers came to the rescue of an elderly person who had been surrounded by a group of Lazio fans.

The two officers suffered minor injuries as the gang of thugs set upon them, throwing missiles including a bottle of inflammable liquid that exploded on hitting their vehicle.

Four fans were arrested after the attack.

It happened just a day after a fan was hospitalised after being stabbed before the Roma-Atlanta match.

Atlanta fans had abandoned the bus they were travelling in when it became stuck in traffic to walk the rest of the way to the Olympic Stadium in Rome.

They came upon a group of Roma fans and a fight broke out.

There was also trouble at two Serie B matches over the weekend.

Fans from disgraced giants Juventus clashed with police in Genoa on Friday night during the Genoa-Juventus match.

Four people were arrested and 15 injured during the clashes.

And in Naples on Saturday the referee stopped the match twice as fans pelted the pitch with missiles.

It is not just Italy that has been beset by violence this weekend.

A Turkish football supporter was stabbed in the leg by rival fans ahead of the highly-charged Istanbul derby between the country's top two teams on Sunday, the Anatolia press agency reported.

The Fenerbahce fan was attacked by a mob of Galatasaray hoodlums in the Mecediyekoy district, a known Gala stronghold on the European bank of the city.

The Fenerbahce fan and a friend were wearing their club's blue and yellow shirts.

The victim shot a pistol in the air before he was dispossessed of his weapon and stabbed in the leg, added Anatolia which said his life was not in danger.

Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are sworn enemies in the Turkish capital with Fenerbahce, at whose ground the match was to be played, hailing from the Asian side of the city.