Violent fights break out between football fans ahead of Champions League match
Football fans in Italy have been filmed throwing furniture and flares at riot police ahead of a match between Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Champions League draw in Naples is due to kick off in around two and a half hours’ time, but Italian media has said German ultras have already damaged a number of police vehicles.
Some have been set alight, according to pictures taken at the scene.
Videos shared on social media show people wearing dark jackets, some of whom have motorcycle helmets and balaclavas on, charging towards officers as they hold up riot shields.
One of the clips has been shared by Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who described the scenes as ‘awful’.
The post he retweeted estimated there were around 300 ‘hooligans’ holding the city ‘hostage’ and facing off with a squad of only 20 or so police officers.
The tweet, from Italian sports journalist Tancredi Palmeri, also says the aggressors are made up of supporters of both Eintracht and Atalanta, from Bergamo in the north of the country.
TV channel Sportitalia tweeted there was ‘total destruction and guerilla warfare’ in the Piazza del Gesù, one of the most important squares in central Naples.
Tonight’s match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is the second leg of the draw, with Napoli having won the first match 2-0.
Italian Ministry of the Interior had originally banned Eintracht Frankfurt supporters from buying a ticket to the game due to concerns about potential violence.
However, sport news site Football Italia said Atalanta fans may have bought tickets for some of them, allowing them to bypass the rule.
The ministry’s decision came after three Napoli fans were left injured in violence ahead of the first leg on February 21, according to the Daily Mail.
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