Napoli and Frankfurt fans clash ahead of Champions League match

Chaos in Naples as hundreds of Napoli and Frankfurt fans clash ahead of Champions League match as cars are set alight and fireworks are thrown at police

Police cars and other vehicles were set alight as riot police tried to calm situation
‘Ultras’ could be seen throwing stones, flares and other projectiles in city centre

Hundreds of Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt fans have clashed in Naples, Italy, ahead of the team’s Champions League match tonight.

‘Ultras’ could be seen throwing stones, flares and other projectiles in Naples’s city centre.

A police car and other vehicles were also set alight while car windows were broken throughout the street.

There was also damage to the cars and motorcycles of bystanders, as well as to some shops overlooking the Piazza del Gesu Nuovo.

Police in riot gear eventually managed to calm the situation, shepherding the fans onto buses to take them to their hotels.

Hundreds of Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt fans have clashed in Naples, Italy, ahead of the team’s Champions League match tonight

Further clashes were avoided as the majority of Napoli ‘ultras’ were stopped from coming into contact with the German fans.

Meanwhile, Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini wrote on Instagram: ‘These are not fans, they are criminals, thugs. I wonder if they would make the same mess in Germany?’

Police had been on high alert in the Italian city as around 600 fans arrived from Germany despite Frankfurt forgoing its allocation of tickets for the round-of-16 match in protest.

The club was objecting to a decision by local authorities in Naples banning any fans who are residents of Frankfurt from buying tickets, following unrest between supporters during the first leg in Germany.

Napoli won that match 2-0 but local police made several arrests in the buildup amid altercations between fans.