Before and after the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg between SSC Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt, there were violent clashes between groups of fans from both clubs in the south Italian city. The club expressly distances itself from these scenes.
Board member Philipp Reschke on…
…events after the match: “At around 23:30, there was another attempt by around 100 Napoli fans to attack both hotels [team hotel and the fan hotel next to it]. The police were fired at with pyrotechnics from the attackers, but were able to bring the situation under control and fend off the attack. The players and staff arrived safely at the team hotel shortly before 1:00. From everything we know so far, there were no further incidents overnight. The majority of Eintracht supporters made their way out of the city in different directions. There are still some police controls outside the city area.”
…the consequences of the clashes: “Three Eintracht supporters were detained overnight. We don’t know the number of arrests on the Napoli side. We’ve only found out that around 200 Napoli ultras were not permitted to enter the stadium due to the incidents in the city.”
There is absolutely no justification for this violence.
Board member Philipp Reschke
…Eintracht Frankfurt’s stance on the incidents: “We regret extremely what happened here. There is absolutely no justification for this violence. We may all have feared it, but it is and remains unacceptable. It harms football, it harms Eintracht Frankfurt and it harms our efforts to stand up for the rights of all fans who would’ve liked to see a football match in the stadium here without repression and decree. The police did confirm to us that the attack yesterday afternoon in the city came from Napoli fans, but that does not justify the potential for violence that was unleashed on both sides afterwards.”
…the measures taken in the build-up: “We remain convinced that blanket ticket sales bans, or even entry and travel bans, will not achieve anything. You deprive thousands of supporters of the opportunity to see such a game, poison the already tense atmosphere, and in the end you still can't prevent those who go looking for like-minded people from doing so. This game and the decree games beforehand prove that. Everything was prepared and organised, from the fan meeting point to the transport and so on. This organisation was replaced by improvisation and chaos. That doesn’t justify anything, but it’s part of the story.”
…the prefect’s accusations against Eintracht Frankfurt: “The prefect’s assertion that we are partly to blame for the escalation of events through our complaint against the prefecture's decree is downright cynical. The starting point was an illegal decree and not the fact that we had this illegality established by the courts.”
