Italy coach Roberto Mancini says there is unlikely to be crowd trouble in Naples at Thursday’s European Championship qualifier if England fans behave.
England supporters attending the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium have been urged to travel on official coaches and avoid wearing belts into the ground amid security concerns.
Violence broke out in the city last week when Serie A leaders Napoli hosted Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, while an England supporters’ group had to cancel a match against their Italian counterparts following a threatening email purporting to be from local ultras.
Italy do not have a designated national stadium and the decision to hold the game in Naples has raised eyebrows, particularly given the historically uneasy relationship between the Napoli fans and the Italian national team.
Asked if it was a risk to stage the game in the port city, Mancini said crowd trouble was typically caused by travelling supporters.
"I don’t work for the police force to be honest," said the former Manchester City coach.
"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."
Around 2,500 England fans have bought tickets for the game, with authorities expecting close to a sell-out at the 47,000-capacity ground.
"We hope nothing comes to pass because football should be a celebration for everyone," Mancini added.
"Italy have always been helped by the crowd whenever they’ve come to Naples and it’ll be even more the case given the way they’re playing now."
Last month, the Premier League hit Man City with over 100 charges for financial irregularities following a four-year investigation, including the allegation that the league champions effectively doubled Mancini’s salary as boss via secret agreement with Abu Dhabi.
Asked if he had been contacted by the Premier League, Mancini said: "No, I haven’t been contacted or called up by anyone and I don’t think anyone will contact me. I have paid my taxes, it’s all above board. So I don’t think anyone will be in touch."
Italy will play in special shirts to commemorate their former striker Gianluca Vialli in the Azzurri’s first game since his death in January.
The former Chelsea forward was a member of Italy’s backroom staff and a great friend of Mancini, with whom he formed a magnificent strike partnership as a player at Sampdoria.
"It’s very emotional obviously because it’s the first time we’ve played since Luca’s passing," Mancini said.
"We were very fortunate to have him as a team-mate and work alongside him. You were lucky to have him in London and he almost became an honorary Londoner. So you know what he’s about. People like him are immortal and will always be with us."
