Napoli pitch vandalised ahead of Liverpool's Europa League visit

Six youths broke into stadium and dug holes in pitch
Match expected to go ahead as scheduled after repair work

by Paolo Bandini 2 years ago

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Uefa delegates will inspect the pitch at Napoli's San Paolo stadium today after it was vandalised on Sunday. The Serie A side host Liverpool in the Europa League on Thursday.

A group of six youths broke into the stadium late in the afternoon before damaging both goals and digging as many as 50 small holes in the pitch.

Groundstaff have been working to repair the pitch since Monday morning, however, and Gazzetta dello Sport reports that it will be ready for Thursday's game and that Liverpool are expected to train on the pitch tomorrow evening.

One of the vandals has been caught and identified, but as he is a minor was returned to his parents without charge. Police believe that the group were simply acting out without any greater motive, but others have suggested they may have been encouraged by groups of Napoli supporters unhappy with the club's decision to raise ticket prices for the match.

"In my opinion this was not a simple act of vandalism," said the Naples councillor responsible for sport, Alfred Ponticelli. "I don't believe it was a coincidence that [Napoli] are playing Liverpool on Thursday,"

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