The run up to Leicester City’s match against Napoli in the Europa League last week was all about making sure players who had been in red list countries would be available.
Brendan Rodgers’ side drew their European opener 2-2, but many of the reports after the match focused on multiple arrests of fans following the away side. There was even much criticism in Italy of those who caused trouble in the travelling group.
Now, perhaps inevitably, there’s been something of a backlash, with the local English police being accused of biased towards the home fans, and targeting those travelling.
Emilio Coppola, a lawyer who has been assisting those Napoli fans who were arrested, has been quoted by Tutto Napoli as saying: “Despite a completely biased police, the people arrested will return home, the charges have all dropped, and despite the fact that we are left alone and in mercy of crazy behaviour we have put an end to our Leicester-Napoli experience.”
Napoli Piu, unsurprisingly, have some sympathy with the fans who travelled to support the club they cover, and say the story from everyone there was the same, that it wasn’t the fault of Napoli supporters.
An unnamed ultra is quoted as saying: “Those who reacted did so only to defend themselves and protect the weakest.”
The Leicester City version will surely be very different.
