The images of past riots with fans from Rotterdam are still present in Italy. During Feyenoord’s European Cup guest appearance in Rome, the Dutch are now banned from entering the stadium.
Italy bans Dutch fans from the Europa League match between AS Roma and Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Roman Olympic Stadium.
According to media reports, this was decided by the Ministry of the Interior after the riots with Eintracht Frankfurt supporters, most recently in Naples, and the experience of Roma’s past duels with Feyenoord. A police spokesman said on Saturday that a corresponding decree had not yet been officially issued, but that the decision had been made at the political level. The quarter-final second leg is scheduled for April 20th.
Already several incidents
At the beginning of 2015, Rotterdam supporters rioted in Rome and, among other things, destroyed and damaged the historic “Fontana della Barcaccia” fountain below the famous Spanish Steps. They clashed with the police, who arrested 28 Dutch rioters.
Last season, before the final of the Conference League between the two teams in the Albanian capital of Tirana, there were clashes between the police and hostile fan groups from Feyenoord and Rome, resulting in injuries and arrests.
Stadium ban against Frankfurt fans in mid-March
Similar to the supporters from the Netherlands, the Italian authorities had already banned fans from Frankfurt from the stadium for the Champions League game at SSC Naples in mid-March.
Hundreds of Ultras from Hessen still traveled to the Mediterranean city and rioted in the city center hours before the game. Outside areas of cafes and restaurants were vandalized and a police car was set on fire. A clash between the two groups of fans could only be prevented with difficulty.
According to the Ansa news agency, three Frankfurt ultras have been in custody in Naples since then – on April 5 they are to be brought before a judge again. Napoli supporters who were also arrested were placed under house arrest.