Italy coach Roberto Mancini has blamed visiting supporters for recent crowd trouble in Naples amid concerns from England fans about their safety ahead of Thursday’s Euro 2024 qualifier in the city.
Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt supporters clashed in the city centre ahead of last week’s Champions League tie. Napoli fans were also banned from travelling to away games for two months following clashes with Roma supporters in January.
There have been numerous instances of foreign visitors being stabbed in Naples in the past, including from English and German clubs, and police are on high alert with 2,500 England fans expected at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
England supporters have backed out of a planned friendly match against their Italian counterparts after receiving a threatening message purportedly from a group of Napoli “ultras”, but Mancini has played down concerns of crowd trouble.
“I don’t work for the police force if I’m quite honest but it’s always been the away fans that have come here and caused problems typically and we saw that it in the Champions League,” said Mancini.
“So I think if people come here and behave correctly I don’t think there should be too many issues.
“But we need to think about footballing matters and what happens on the pitch. We hope that nothing comes to pass because football should be a celebration for everyone.”
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Mancini also played down his role in the charges of alleged financial rule breaking levelled at Manchester City by the Premier League.
City have been referred to an independent commission over alleged breaches of financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
Mancini was City manager between December 2009 and May 2013.
“I haven’t been contacted by anybody and I don’t think anybody will contact me,” he added. “I’ve paid my taxes so it’s all above board. I don’t think anyone will be in touch.”
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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Source: News