Frankfurt Fans Battle Police, Wreck Naples City Center Before Champions League Match

The away support lit several vehicles on fire and fought with riot police before the Champions League round of 16 match vs. Napoli.

AP

Traveling Eintracht Frankfurt fans wreaked havoc in the city center of Naples, Italy, when they clashed with local police before Wednesday’s Champions League game vs. Napoli.

Multiple vehicles, including a police car, were set on fire as fans attacked riot police with flares and chairs from local cafes before being sent back on buses to their hotels, according to The Associated Press. 

Hundreds of Frankfurt fans descended upon Naples despite the club refusing to accept its allocation of away tickets in protest of an Italian decree that banned residents of Frankfurt, Germany, from buying tickets to the round of 16 second leg. Napoli won the first leg, 2–0, last month in Frankfurt, where multiple arrests were made after fans clashed. 

𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗜 𝗘 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗔 𝗔 𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜‼️🔥

Le immagini che arrivano live da piazza del Gesù a Napoli.

Gli ultras tedeschi stanno danneggiato diversi mezzi delle forze dell'ordine. La tensione resta altissima in attesa del calcio d'inizio.#Napoli #Sportitalia pic.twitter.com/3S9v7rosbC

— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) March 15, 2023

Despite the presence of roughly 800 police officers in Naples, chaos erupted in the streets as Atalanta ultras—a longstanding rival of Napoli ultras—joined the Frankfurt fans. However, Napoli fans were mostly kept away from the scenes by police. 

“I’m monitoring what has happened on our streets,” Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi tweeted. “An unacceptable climate of guerilla warfare. My thanks go to the forces of order, the municipal police and the ANM [local public transportation service] who have moved to guarantee the safety of citizens. My appeal to Neapolitans: Be responsible.”