Napoli vs Frankfurt: Prior to Napoli’s UEFA Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt, Naples was besieged by football hooligans, resulting in confrontations between them and the police. There were reports of Frankfurt fans vandalizing the city, setting cars on fire, and attacking police officers.
Tancredi Palmeri, an Italian journalist, claimed that German thugs had teamed up with Atalanta ultras. Video evidence suggested that both groups of fans were involved in assaulting the police.
Frankfurt and Napoli in Naples this afternoon!
💥💥😲💥💥 pic.twitter.com/RJJHjySWdi
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) March 15, 2023
In responding to the situation, 800 police officers were deployed, as around 300 hooligans created chaos by engaging in violent activities and lighting flares. In one video, masked assailants were seen hurling chairs at police vans and officers who were under attack.
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Due to security concerns, the ultras were banned from attending the match between Atalanta and their bitter rivals Napoli, which was played in an almost empty stadium.
Ahead of the second leg, Napoli’s captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, released a video message, appealing to the supporters to refrain from any violent behavior.
He said: “We are having an exceptional season and tomorrow we can make Napoli history if we manage to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
“We must all try to have a good day without disorder or quarrels with whoever arrives in the city. Not only at the stadium but in the streets, in the squares, everywhere.
“As your captain, I ask you not to fall into provocations. Let’s try to make tomorrow a day of celebration. We do not accept any provocation. Everyone in the stadium with serenity and joy.”
Initially, local authorities prohibited individuals from Germany from purchasing Champions League tickets for the match due to security concerns. However, a legal challenge eventually permitted those who were born or resided in Frankfurt to buy tickets for the game.
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During the first leg, there were violent clashes between the two groups of supporters, resulting in arrests and injuries. Football Italia reported that approximately 400 Frankfurt fans traveled to Naples, with some Atalanta ultras believed to have aided them in circumventing the restrictions.
Furthermore, there were allegations that Frankfurt’s team bus was attacked with missiles during the clashes.
These incidents occurred prior to the Last-16 second-leg match between the two European teams. Napoli had already won the first leg 2-0 in Germany. In the second leg, Napoli won 3-0, securing their spot in the quarter-finals.
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