Napoli ultras boycott Fiorentina match over ‘lottery’ of 380 tickets

Cagliari-Napoli fans (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

Napoli fans have announced plans to boycott this weekend’s Serie A match against Fiorentina in protest at the ‘lottery’ system imposed for limited tickets.

It kicks off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Saturday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

The stadium is undergoing reconstruction work, so has very limited seating while entire sections are being torn down and rebuilt.

On top of that, there were security fears over the history of tension between the sets of supporters, so the sale of tickets to residents of the Campania region was initially banned.

When it was lifted, only 380 tickets were made available to Napoli fans, prompting the boycott from the Curva A and B ultras groups.

Napoli fans announce protest against ticket restrictions

“With 72 hours to go before the trip to Florence, the decision comes to open up a sector to residents of Campania,” read a statement.

“However, the confirmation is that only 380 tickets are available. We find it unacceptable to participate in what will effectively be a lottery system, which risks penalising the vast majority of fans who want to honour the match in Florence.

“We are tired of decisions that change on a whim and are discriminatory towards the ultras movement. We are also struck by the complicit silence of SSC Napoli, who continue to be a winning model on the pitch, but has not yet learned to reserve the right consideration towards its ‘primary clients.’

“A successful marketing model ought to guarantee the best ‘clients’ an opportunity to always be present, without participating in a lottery with people who might for the first time find themselves in an away section of a stadium.

“So we tell the authorities in charge of security not to worry: with these conditions, we are the ones who decide not to be present in Florence, for our groups, and for our own dignity!”

Il Mattino newspaper points out the sale of the just over 300 tickets is only for people who are subscribed to the official Napoli loyalty programme.

It is just the latest protest from ultras over various issues, as Inter and AC Milan supporters groups have also been boycotting matches this season.

The Lega Serie A is also working to make sure kick-off dates and times are known in advance, to help fans organise for these matches, but they have no control over security restrictions put in place by the Osservatorio.