A Chelsea supporter, who had travelled to Naples to watch Liam Rosenior's men in Champions League action on Wednesday night, has described the "terrifying moment" he and his friend were attacked by a group of Napoli ultras. His friend is in hospital after being stabbed with a screwdriver.
Currently sat eighth in the league phase of Europe's premier competition, a win against Antonio Conte's side would confirm Chelsea's automatic progression into the knockout rounds. Away from football, though a group of travelling fans found themselves in the middle of an encounter the night before the match.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday evening, Chelsea warned fans to use 'extreme caution' in and around the city centre after two supporters were taken to hospital, though the injuries sustained were non-life-threatening.
"The club is aware of an incident that took place on Tuesday evening in Naples. Two fans are being treated in hospital, having sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The club would like to remind all supporters to exercise extreme caution whilst in the city and take note of the advice shared ahead of this fixture."
Chelsea Fan Describes 'Terrifying' Encounter with Napoli Fans Ahead of Champions League Clash
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Aadam – who decided against giving his surname – had travelled to Naples for the first time with his friend Marcus for Chelsea's match on Wednesday night. Aadam and Marcus were with a group of seven Chelsea supporters who had made the trip to Italy to watch their side in action.
Providing further details of the incident, Aadam insisted they were keeping a low profile. "A group of seven of us who had just had pizza in a restaurant went to the Kitebeer pub and had two drinks. None of us were in Chelsea colours, nothing blue, or singing any songs. We decided to go to another pub where a few of our other friends were about a 10-minute walk away," he said while speaking to The Telegraph.
"Everything was good-natured, we weren’t being loud or talking about Chelsea. Unfortunately, we turned down a side street on the way to the pub and there was a group of about 30 ultras. They weren’t wearing Napoli shirts and about half of them had their faces covered. Straight away they started shouting ‘where are you from?’ and everyone knew it was dangerous.
Said group of Napoli fans attacked them in a side street 10 minutes from the Port of Naples the night before the encounter. As mentioned, Marcus was stabbed in the leg while he and his friends attempted to flee and another member of the group found his coat ripped by a sharp object.
“The guys at the front started running and, unfortunately, they grabbed Marcus by his shoulder and started talking to him. He didn’t think anything was happening and then all of a sudden he’d been stabbed in the leg.
"It was with a screwdriver, rather than a knife, but it obviously caused him a lot of pain," 23-year-old Aadam continued. "Another one of our mates had his coat sliced. It was terrifying and you start to think the worst, that you’re all going to end up getting stabbed."
Chelsea, since finding out about the incident, have been in contact with Aadam and Marcus, who planned to visit a police station on Wednesday to provide additional details of what had occurred.
Aadam and Marcus Are Deciding Whether to Attend Crucial Chelsea vs Napoli Tie
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“We’re thinking about whether or not to go. We’ve both been shaken up by what happened and now we just don’t know how safe it will be," Aadam told The Telegraph in an exclusive interview before revealing that his encounter with the Napoli supporters is something he's never experienced in his travels with Chelsea.
“I’ve travelled with Chelsea in Europe before and never had anything like this, home or away, so we’ll see how we feel. We were due to stay in Naples until Saturday, but we’ll probably just get a train up to Rome tomorrow and spend the rest of our time there," he continued.
"This is our first time in Naples and it will probably be my last. It will make me think twice about which cities I go to for games in future.”
Fans, especially those of a Stamford Bridge persuasion, have been asked not to walk around the city on their own and to avoid wearing anything – from colours or emblems – that would make them stand out as Chelsea supporters. A free shuttle service, with a police escort, will be in place for the 2,500 Chelsea fans who have tickets to ensure they arrive safely at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.