Official: UEFA rejects request to move Napoli vs Eintracht Frankfurt to neutral venue

According to Frankfurt’s official website, UEFA rejected Frankfurt’s request and the Champions League match with Naples will be held as scheduled.

UEFA has officially rejected Eintracht Frankfurt's request to move their Champions League fourth-round match against Naples to a neutral venue. Previously, Frankfurt fans were prohibited from going to Naples to watch the game.

The November 4 game in Naples will go ahead as planned, but there will be no Frankfurt fans in attendance. On September 22, the mayor of Naples issued an order prohibiting Naples from selling 5% of the tickets (approximately 2,500 tickets) that should be allocated to the visiting team to Frankfurt fans.

Eintracht Frankfurt board member Philippe Reiske said: "The different approaches to high-stakes matches by participating countries and football associations have become a real issue for European fan culture and the integrity of club competitions. In most places, visiting fans are still welcome despite significant challenges, while in others Especially in France and Italy, although the situation and risks are the same, visiting team fans have been excluded by the authorities."

Frankfurt submitted an application to UEFA in early October, requesting that the game against Naples be moved to a neutral venue or played behind closed doors, citing security and organizational deficiencies at Naples' home court.

Reske explained: "UEFA's rules have not yet provided any means for clubs or football associations that are unilaterally affected by official bans to deal with or at least offset this practice and the stadium atmosphere and competitive disadvantages it causes."

UEFA confirmed in the statement that it is closely considering adjusting relevant rules to respond to the increasing number of bans.

Reske: "While we are frustrated to encounter this situation again in Naples, we believe that this is an important step in the right direction for UEFA. Change will only be possible if home clubs are given a joint responsibility to deal with official restrictions in the future, and visiting fans and teams are no longer unilaterally disadvantaged."

Since Frankfurt fans were first banned from entering Naples in 2023, there have been 15 similar bans at UEFA club competitions.

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