Naples: Fan violence erupted in Naples on Wednesday ahead of a Champions League match between Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt from which visiting German fans have officially been banned.
Videos on social media showed police officers being attacked by troublemakers with tables and chairs in central locations of the city, and at least one police car was set ablaze. Frankfurt residents have been banned from attending the last-16 return leg by the prefecture of Naples in connection with security concerns after fan violence around the first-leg match in Germany last month.
The Frankfurt club, which had initially won an appeal against a first fan ban imposed by Italy’s interior ministry, waived the ticket contingent it was entitled to and urged fans not to travel to Italy. But several hundred fans of the Europa League champions still made their way to Naples and marched through the city on Wednesday, initially without any trouble.
Frankfurt fans had started arriving on Tuesday night, according to Italian reports joined by ultras from Napoli’s Italian rivals Atalanta. Every fan was registered by police. Buses bringing the fans to their hotel were attacked with pyrotechnics, reportedly set off by Napoli ultras. A large police presence was seen in front of the hotel. The ANSA news agency said that a security force of 800 has been deployed to maintain order around the match. (dpa)
