FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Eintracht Frankfurt have rejected a request from UEFA to move their Champions League game against Napoli to a neutral venue after fans were barred from attending, the club said on Monday.
The Bundesliga club announced on Friday that the match will be held as originally scheduled in Naples on November 4 without supporters.
On September 22, Frankfurt fans were excluded when Italian authorities ordered Napoli to deny regular ticket allocations to visiting teams, citing the risk of violence between rival fans.
Frankfurt board member Philipp Reschke said in a statement: “While in most regions away supporters are naturally welcomed, despite great challenges, it is unacceptable that in other regions, and most recently in France and Italy, away supporters are simply excluded by the authorities despite similar circumstances and risks.”
Earlier this month, Frankfurt asked governing body UEFA to move the match to a neutral venue or to hold it behind closed doors, alleging safety and organizational deficiencies at Napoli’s stadium.
“UEFA regulations do not yet provide clubs, or even the associations themselves, unilaterally affected by a ban on official away fans with any means to counter, or at least offset, this practice and the resulting on-pitch atmosphere and competitive disadvantage,” Reschke said.
Frankfurt too protested In 2023, supporters were banned from the second leg of a Champions League last-16 match in Napoli. fan trouble around the first leg in frankfurt.
Frankfurt announced that there have been 15 more instances in which away fans have been banned from UEFA club competitions since Napoli fans were banned for the first time in 2023.
West Midlands Police in the UK Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned Due to safety concerns, he will not take part in the Europa League match at Aston Villa on November 6. british prime minister keir starmer He strongly criticized the ban.
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