All hell broke loose at the Stadio Alberto Picco as Spezia and Napoli supporters heatedly set things in motion even before the match kicked off. Both sets of fans were involved in verbal and physical altercations, due to which both clubs will receive hefty fines and additional penalties, quite possibly for the home side in the form of stadium section closures.
Managers of both teams, Thiago Motta and Luciano Spalletti, condemned the ultras involved in the ugly scenes for their unnecessary behavior.
“Such things that take you away from football, there are children and families in the stands and this must not happen,” said Spalletti after the clash in his post-match press interview (via Sky Sport Italia).
The former Roma boss, who himself has experienced a fair share of controversies, further bashed the involved supporters with an intelligent statement.
He said: “Cheering should be done towards one’s team and not against opponents.”
Thiago Motta says it a ‘huge regret’ that the events unfolded as they did, instead of a party atmosphere.
The former Inter midfielder said: “It’s a huge regret, it should have been a party. It makes no sense for these things to happen, we should all reason and ask us why.”
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina also released a statement earlier, citing that it was ‘absolutely unworthy’ and blamed ‘uncivilized’ people for creating the ruckus.
“What happened today in La Spezia is absolutely unworthy, there can be no turns of words. Football cannot be hostage to uncivilized and violent people: the response of the institutions must be strong and coordinated, I hope that all responsibilities will be ascertained as soon as possible.” (via Calciomercato)
With both teams having nothing to play for except bragging rights, things got out of hand for a good 10-15 minutes, before the match resumed in the 25th minute. Thankfully, the rest of the match went uninterrupted. However, it is reported that the fans continued to clash after the end of 90 minutes.