The Football Association have strongly condemned the actions of an England fan and revoked their ticket after they were pictured with a flag which included a sickening message to the late Diego Maradona.
England took on Italy in Naples on Thursday night in a repeat of the European Championship final from 2021. But off the field, there have been some concerns about troubles in the city, with a heavy police force present both inside and outside the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
And the FA have confirmed they have rescinded a match ticket from a fan after images went viral on social media. The unnamed supporter, who is believed to be a part of the official England supporter club, was snapped with an England flag which carried the message “Diego’s in a box” - a reference to the Argentinian and Napoli legend who passed away in November 2020.
It is understood that Italian organisers had already let the individual know he would be identified at the stadium, thanks to the electronic scanning process in operation. The FA have now issued a brief statement. “We strongly condemn the actions of the individual who travelled to Naples with a flag that had a highly offensive message on it.
“We immediately took steps to have their tickets cancelled before the match. The matter will be reviewed further when we return to England."
England boss Gareth Southgate said he had no concerns about coming to Naples for the game, hoping the match would pass without any supporter troubles. “I think everybody is looking forward to the experience of coming to Naples,” he said.
“Personally, I am exciting about playing in a city that loves football, with a great history. To come here when I can just about remember Maradona when they won the league, and Careca, so I’m excited about that from the football side.
“Always we ask our fans to be good tourists and respect the local culture. We hope the game and the next couple of days passes with no problems.”
Italy boss Roberto Mancini also looked to ease any concerns over hosting the game in the city of Serie A leaders, suggesting that previous issues had not been caused by locals. "I don’t work for the police force to be honest," he said.
"But it’s always been the away fans that have come here and cause problems typically. We saw that in the Champions League. If people come here and behave correctly I don’t think there will be too many issues on that score." Mancini added: "We hope nothing comes to pass because football should be a celebration for everyone.”
Southgate made just two changes from the team beaten in the World Cup quarter-final as their Euro 2024 qualification campaign began Manchester City pair Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish came into the starting XI, with the other nine names having all lined up against France in Al Khor.
Harry Kane once again captained the side while Harry Maguire was retained in defence despite being limited to a bit-part campaign at Manchester United. Azzurri boss Mancini handed a debut to Argentina-born striker Mateo Retegui.
Marco Verratti captained the hosts, who were wearing one-off shirts as they played for the first time since the death of former striker and coach Gianluca Vialli, with Arsenal’s Jorginho the sole Premier League representative in their starting XI.
Mancini hailed Vialli, who died at the age of 58 in January, in his pre-match press conference. “It is very emotional obviously,” he said. “It is the first time we have played a game since Luca’s passing.
“We were very fortunate to have him, me as a team-mate and to work alongside him, you were lucky enough to have him in London and he had almost become an honorary Londoner, so you saw what he was all about. It is with a great sadness but people like him will always be close to us, he is immortal and will stay close to us.”
