Ten supporters of English football club Tottenham Hotspur were injured after being attacked at The Drunken Ship pub in Rome's Campo de' Fiori, in the early hours of 22 November.

The ten men – nine of whom were British and one American – were socialising in the popular expat pub ahead of the Serie A football match between Tottenham and Lazio at the capital's Olympic Stadium the following evening.

At around 01.30, a large group of assailants (reported numbers vary between 40 and 100) arrived at the pub from the direction of Piazza Cancelleria and Via del Pellegrino. The group members had their faces covered with helmets or scarves, and were armed with clubs and various other weapons which they used to smash up the premises and attack the ten Tottenham supporters, who are believed to be aged between 20 and 60 years.

According to eye witnesses, the attack lasted a few minutes but resulted in one of the Tottenham fans being left in a serious condition and the pub's interior being "virtually destroyed". Some of the attackers were arrested by police but others escaped through side streets.

Although police have declined to identify the attackers, witnesses say they were Lazio "Ultras", a hardcore, violent element of the club's football fans.

It is the latest outbreak of violence in Campo de' Fiori which in recent years has become increasingly synonymous with anti-social behaviour at night.