The police arrested around 180 supporters of the Italian football club Napoli in Eindhoven city center on Monday night. According to the police, there were indications that they were planning a confrontation with PSV supporters. The two clubs are playing against each other in a Champions League match on Tuesday.
According to the police, the Italian fans’ “behavior gave rise to disturbances.” Officers had spoken to the football fans about their behavior, but when the situation didn’t improve, the police arrested them.
The Napoli fans were taken to a police station by bus, where they were questioned. They’ll be released this morning, the Oost-Brabant police said on X.
Officers also arrested four PSV supporters elsewhere in the city, also because their behavior would cause disturbances.
According to Omroep Brabant, Napoli had been allocated 1,600 tickets for the Champions League match against PSV and had sold all of them. The police told the broadcaster that they expected around 300 “high-risk supporters” to come to Eindhoven. There may also be more Italian fans in the city than available tickets.
Last week, the municipality of Eindhoven designated the PSV-Napoli game a “high-risk match of the highest category.” Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem declared parts of the city as high-risk security areas, allowing the police to stop and frisk people.
