Naples was far from calm following Eintracht’s Champions League match. While there were serious riots in the city center before the game, the unrest continued later on. The Naples ultras even attempted to get to Eintracht’s team hotel and shot fireworks and rockets in the immediate vicinity. The Italian police were present in large numbers and prevented the situation from escalating.
However, the situation remained tense as the ultras threw stones at emergency services and attempted to break through the police’s cordon. The Eintracht Ultras hotel was also in the immediate vicinity, and a helicopter circled the entire area until late at night. The police even placed a water cannon at the Frankfurt team hotel as a precaution.
Finally, the team bus arrived hours after the game, and things calmed down early Thursday morning. The majority of Eintracht fans had already left, but the aftermath of the riots will take time to work through. Eintracht board member Philipp Reschke spoke about the riots, stating that they were something that nobody wants to see and were a bit of the riot they had feared since the day of the draw. Despite the unrest, the team was able to play and return home safely.
