A group of English football fans have been injured in a late-night clash in Rome ahead of a Europa League match.
One fan was in serious condition after being stabbed, and at least four other Britons, one American and one Bangladeshi were hurt when masked assailants attacked a pub in the Italian capital, according to police.
The Britons were in the country to support Tottenham Hotspur, who are due to play Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday night.
They were out drinking at The Drunken Ship, a popular pub in downtown Rome, when knife-wielding thugs believed to be "Ultras", or fanatical fans, smashed their way in, according to police and witnesses.
The pub trashed in the attack is in the vibrant Campo de Fiori square Spurs fan Dave Webster, who witnessed the attack from a nearby bar, described a chaotic, violent scene, saying the attack had left some Tottenham fans "covered in blood, heads bleeding, arms bleeding".
"The first thing we heard was broken glass - the main pane of glass at the bar got broken, and then all of a sudden we heard women screaming and running out and running away from the bar, and then it was sort of a back-and-forth chase between the two set of fans and more Italians started pouring in," he told Sky News.
"Then eventually, 15 minutes after it happened the Carabinieri turned up."
The cobblestones outside the bar were blood-stained, chairs and bits of wood were strewn across the floor and windows were broken.
Police named the critically injured as Ashley Mills, and said the American had also been stabbed.
Some of the other hurt Britons were identified as Dave Lesley, Stephen Tierney and Christopher Allen.
Earlier reports said nine fans had been hurt, and a statement by a club spokesman said: "We understand from local police that nine of our supporters suffered injuries last night following an incident in the city centre. Three of these supporters were taken to hospital for further treatment."
Tottenham Hotspur are due to play Lazio Police said around 50 Italians were involved in the assault, and that some had been arrested. They were on the hunt for 15 more suspects.
A spokesman for the mayor's office said the attack had been "obviously organised" and Italian newspaper La Repubblica described the scene as "urban warfare".
The aggressors, who were believed to be Lazio fans, had their faces covered by motorcycle helmets or scarves when they launched their assault shortly after 1am.
However, Lazio president Claudio Lotito said his club supporters "had nothing to do with it", according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
Bar owner Marco Manzi said the assailants had converged on the pub from two directions, armed with "every possible thing".
"They penned them in the back and they threw everything at them: cobblestones, metal rods, metal bolts, pieces of belts," Manzi told The Associated Press after returning to survey the damage Thursday morning.
Witness Giuseppe Tamborra said: "I saw four people lying on the ground, one with his forehead cut open from here to here, probably with a stool taken from the bar.
"The Italians were very organised, with helmet, bats, even balaclavas," he said.
The Drunken Ship, a popular drinking spot for tourists and foreign students, is located in the Campo de Fiori - one of the most visited squares in the Italian capital's historic centre.
Three Middlesbrough fans were stabbed in the same pub in 2006 when they were in the city for a Uefa cup match.
A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed they are investigating the clash.
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