Two Chelsea followers have been final evening ‘chased by 25 ultras’ in Naples and stabbed, with one sufferer sharing an image of his blood-soaked hand.
Witnesses say supporters have been attacked whereas they walked to a bar on Tuesday evening within the Italian metropolis forward of the Premier League facet’s conflict with Napoli within the Champions League tonight.
Two have been taken to hospital the place they have been handled for non-life-threatening accidents, with the membership warning different followers to ‘train excessive warning’.
One Chelsea fan shared an image of his hand coated in blood and mentioned he had ‘obtained stabbed’ as he warned: ‘No one exit in Naples tonight is ROUGHH [sic]’.
A terrified fan wrote on X: ‘F*** me man that’s was so f*****d, actually simply going to a different pub n 25 napoli extremely w knifes chasing us n stabbed one in every of my boys, everybody saying don’t go searching obtained hassle, we was actually strolling to a different pub and the was all there, so f****d, glad nobody was critically injured man.’
He later mentioned he was ‘fortunately out of hospital simply in fact naturally shaken up’.
One other claimed in a social media submit final evening {that a} knife was pulled on him and 5 supporters in an Irish bar ‘for talking English’. It’s not identified if this was in relation to the stabbing incident.
Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported that one fan had been ‘stabbed within the buttock’ and had since been discharged from the Vecchio Pellegrini Hospital.
There’s a lengthy historical past of away followers being focused by Napoli ultras. In 2023, lots of of England followers have been stored in buses forward of a Euro 2024 qualifier with Italy within the metropolis.
They have been pushed round and stored in cramped circumstances for their very own security when the then-named UK Soccer Policing Unit was made conscious of a ‘credible risk’ from Napoli’s infamous ultras.
One Chelsea fan posted this picture of his blood-soaked hand and mentioned he’d been stabbed
Napoli ultras, pictured earlier this month, reportedly chased Chelsea followers down the road
Days earlier, a pleasant match between the 2 nations’ followers was known as off after a chilling e mail was despatched to organisers warning that 60 of Napoli’s ultras have been ‘coming for you’ and added ‘you be warned just one instances’.
Chelsea has urged supporters travelling to observe the Blues play Napoli on Wednesday evening to take ‘excessive warning’ within the Italian metropolis.
A Chelsea assertion on social media learn: ‘The membership is conscious of an incident that happened on Tuesday night in Naples.
‘Two followers are being handled in hospital, having sustained non-life-threatening accidents.
‘The membership wish to remind all supporters to train excessive warning while within the metropolis and be aware of the recommendation shared forward of this fixture.’
Native police and Napoli haven’t commented on the incident and the Italian metropolis is infamous as a harmful place for visiting followers.
There are 2,500 tickets allotted for Chelsea supporters to observe their facet play the Italian champions on the Diego Armando Maradona stadium on Wednesday evening.
And a police escort will accompany free shuttle buses for these followers to get to the bottom.
Cole Palmer is among the many squad who’ve travelled to Naples with new boss Liam Rosenior
Final October, Napoli’s ultras fought with Sporting Lisbon counterparts earlier than their Champions League match in an enormous melee during which chairs have been thrown.
And there was additionally violence for the fixture with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023 when eight folks have been arrested and 470 travelling supporters have been kicked in another country.
A number of police automobiles have been burned in that episode of violence on the streets and two law enforcement officials suffered accidents.
Chelsea are presently within the final computerized qualifying place within the Champions League group stage.
A victory over Napoli would see them by means of to the last-16 however a draw or defeat might consign them to a play-off recreation over two legs.
The Blues’ away kind within the competitors has been poor, drawing towards Qarabag earlier than dropping to Atalanta and Bayern Munich.
Napoli are 5 factors behind the Blues within the standings however are down in twenty fifth place and want a win to climb into the play-off spherical.
