Manchester City bosses have taken the dramatic step of writing to all fans travelling to Italy for next week’s European Champions League match in Italy to urge them to take safety measures.
The Blues take on Napoli in Naples – where visiting supporters have previously been subjected to vicious knife attacks.
In a letter to the 800 fans who bought tickets for the match, club officials have urged them:
- Not to wear club shirts or scarves
- To avoid no-go areas – including the train station and the city centre
- To congregate around the safer port area
- And to use special shuttle buses being laid on from 5pm to take them to the stadium for Tuesday’s match
It is the first time City have issued such advice. The move comes after four Bayern Munich supporters were slashed with knives outside the Stadio San Paolo stadium before a Champions League match last month.
There were numerous reports of knife-weilding thugs on mopeds carrying out vicious assaults and two more German fans were stabbed in the city centre.
Last year three Liverpool fans were knifed - with two hospitalised - when they visited Naples to take on Napoli in the Europa League.
Worried Manchester City officials drew up the advice after meeting officials from police at home and in Italy.
The M.E.N. understands the club has also taken advice from the British consulate in Naples as well as Bayern, Liverpool and Manchester United - who sent out similar written guidelines before the Reds travelled to Rome in 2007.
City's letter – signed by operations manager Steve Sayer – says fans should 'take care and use common sense' and 'travel in groups where possible'.
It includes consulate advice to stay away from the 'no-go' areas and adds: “We would also advise you to not wear club colours away from the game, particularly when taking public transport.”
Tensions around the televised encounter are set to be high as defeat could see the Italians knocked out of the tournament.
No alcohol will be served inside the ground and Blues supporters will be locked in after the final whistle for 45 minutes.
Buses will again be waiting again to take them back to the port.
Photographic ID will be needed to gain entry along with a valid ticket.
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If that is rhe case, surely the game should be played somewhere else. . How ridiculous is that. Only way to stop this is play the game behind closed doors. Absolute c*** to give in to the thugs from Napoli.. More Fifa weakness. Where is the Blather on this one.
Bike it.....We'll wear what we want !.
If it was English clubs supporters slashing opposing fans you can guarantee Blatter and Platini would have us banned immediately.
Hope the blues are safe over there.
So now we know if you get slashed shop at Savile Row!!!
if this is what going to an away game in italy is like they should be banned from the competition
Napoli are scum and should be thrown out of the competition for 10 years. Though I suppose blatter would be proud of them
So did they write to 3,000 fans or 800 fans? The article mentions both figures
(Ed: It's 800 - the 3,000 line was mistakenly left in the final version of the article, that's now been amended)
The Blues take on Napoli in Naples – where visiting supporters have previously been subjected to vicious knife attacks
No British club would get away with it. Also I can't understand how they get away with it in Turkey with their "Welcome to Hell" banners etc.
I was in Naples 2 years ago and I can honestly say it was absolutely frighteningly aggressive in every way, taxi drivers would fight over you, then take you where you didn't really want to go and at the same time warn you about using the train etc. That is the reason I made no attempt to get tickets for this game. Believe me, if you wear our colours you will be in serious danger and I AM NOT JOKING, I will never ever go to that place again.
London will host the 2017 world athletics championships. The British Government are committed to the safety of both the athletes and supporters. So much so that Philip Hammond (UK Defence Secretary) is prepared to access ground-to-air facilities.
Yet in contrast to that Manchester City fans cannot wear their club colours to a football match in the Champions League tie in Naples for fear of being attacked.
Me thinks it's time Sepp Blatter calls it a day. The man continues to stumbles from one catastrophe to another.
800,i thought they took 5,000 to every away game including europe.....funny how the blues thought it was funny when reds were attacked/ slashed in turin,rome and milan...what goes around..
I'm not from Naples, but I'm Italian and know a bit about the "football underground" over there. Football rivalries are defined on a case by case basis, both at club and national levels. Most Italians look up at the Premiership, whereas the Bundesliga is widely despised; and there is a complicated history of Southern-Italian migration and discrimination in Munich, which clearly exacerbated things with Bayern. Bayern itself is a very unpopular club across the country, with unpopular players.
I don't see why ManCity fans should be targeted in Naples: Napoli colors are the same as ManCity (notwithstanding recent branding exercises by certain Arab owners with more money than sense), they are both underdogs on the European stage, they have no precedent in recent history as far as I know. Mancini and his old mates from Sampdoria now in the ManCity staff (Platt, Salsano, Lombardo...) are all well-liked in Italy, Balotelli has been to Naples on holiday and was treated well (maybe too well, looking at related news -- he was a witness at some trial, stating he'd seen "bags and bags of drugs laying on tables" in a particularly infamous neighbourhood). Yes, the match will be tense, it's important, but local fans would rather win the Italian league than the Champions.
Unless people start acting like hooligans, or end up in bad neighbourhoods (quite far from tourist areas), I don't think they'll be targeted by violent thugs, although they could give you the tourist treatment (i.e. think you're a walking ATM or you have the brains of a particularly slow turtle). Enjoy the pizza and sweets, they're nothing like what you'll find over here!
As a red I would say stick to the advice, having been to aways in Rome and worked in Naples you have to be 200% on your guard at all times. Try and remain inconspicuous if travelling independantly and hook up with your fellow blues as soon as you can. Use the buses provided as you will be escorted to and from the ground by the police. Also do not antagonise the police, because I can guarantee they will be itching to use their batons on the "English Hooligans".
Enjoy the game & stay safe.
The rags have been putting up with this sort of treatment for years. It doesnt make it right,but if we want to sit at the top table with the other big names in europe, i guess we will have to put up with the crap that follows. Would rather be going abroad ,than Gillingham on a Tuesday night !!
All blues need to be wearing kevlar underpants in Naples.
Why are Napoli not penalised for these attacks !. They should be made to play at a nuetral ground (France ?). & there supporters banned from attending the games !!.
People asking for the game to be moved or Napoli banned etc,
99% of the attacks are OUTSIDE the stadium and thus Napoli can say it has nothing to do with them as they have done before, when the bayern fans were stabbed OUTSIDE the stadium what exactly can UEFA do about that ?, it is a police matter and is classed as nothing to do with Napoli Football Club even though it is obviously their fans, if incidents happen INSIDE the stadium then only then UEFA can act and issue bans etc,
The majority of the attacks INSIDE the stadium will be the acts of the carabinieri riot police, its a no win situation, suppose the best you can do is keep your head down and pretend to be Italian although if your Blonde, Ginger or Black then good luck with that one !
Beware the nuts with motorcycle helmets on who like to "pop" into bars for a few !
Great responsible journalism this Keegan.
Who, exactly, does this article benefit? The only people who need this information are us who are going. We have it in the form of the letter that we received when buying tickets and anyone who's any knowledge of European football would've already known that they need to be a bit streetwise when there anyway.
Thanks to this article you'll have frightened many family and friends. It will also undoubtedly find its way over to Italy (I hear they have the internet there as well) where the people of Naples will be understandably annoyed at the press coverage they're receiving from their visitors.
Thanks again, Mike
Keep up the good work
I grew up on the streets of moss side all my life until about 2 years ago, i know all the local lads in my area and we were all saying the other night while watching the england game that if we got a free ticket, flight and we would not go now that statement should speak for itself.
How about Stockport County scarves?
Irrespective of what neckwear they put on, Citeh fans will be 'outed' by the Italians because they all dress like paraffin lamps.
Against Villereal we were lambasted for throwing screwed up bits of paper at the stewards, some of which went on to the pitch near the opposition players,however Bayern fans get carved up and slashed in Naples and yes,you've guessed not even a mention in the corridors of UEFA.
PSG get taken over by an organisation similar in wealth to that of Mr Mansour, with Platini rejoicing that it was marvellous for French football. Pity his enthusiasm was less vibrant for our takeover, as he luanched the Financial Fair Play Rules in response to our windfall. It'll be interesting to see PSG balance the books.
The FA needs to grow a pair and challenge this obvious bias towards English teams and if necessary take action in the form of a boycott. Just watch Champions league sponsors reaction to a tournament with Premier League representation.
I'd also take those hats with umbrellas on the top because inside the stadium water bottles without tops will be thrown at the City fans, it won't be water in the bottles.....
I'd also warn City fans not to look in the face of an Italian policeman, they'll take a look as an invitation to swing a baton at you.
Don't worry though because when they come over here they act as if they're the friendliest supporters in the world and it'll be easier to arrest you in Manchester than an Italian.
Taking 800 to a game you MUST win the champions league. Massive.
So Steve Sayer - what's the difference between thugs on scooters in Naples and those in high-visibility jackets in block 109?
And a special mention must go to those United fans who have been trying to stir up trouble by posting on Napoli fan sites. .