"Apocalypse on the Autobahn": traffic collapse in Italy due to brutal fan riots
Created: 2023-01-08 21:12
By: Richard Strobl
Enemy football fans fought veritable street battles on the Italian A1 motorway.
© Screenshot: Twitter/Michele Galvani
War-like scenes took place on the Italian A1 motorway on Sunday.
Enemy football fans fought real battles.
Traffic collapsed.
Arezzo – Brutal riots broke out in Italy on Sunday.
Enemy football fans who fought veritable street battles were responsible for this.
The clashes occurred early Sunday afternoon on the so-called "Autostrada del Sole", the Italian A1, which connects Milan with Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples.
It is the most important highway in Italy.
But because of the riots, the A1 northbound had to be completely closed on Sunday.
Police did not open traffic until around 2:30 p.m.
A traffic jam of up to 15 kilometers in length formed, as reported by the
Corriere della Sera
.
"It's like war": football ultras completely paralyze traffic on A1
The closure was necessary because fans of SSC Napoli and AS Roma fought brutal street battles at a service station near Arezzo in Tuscany and then on the motorway itself.
Videos showing the brutal scenes are circulating on Twitter.
"Apocalypse on the Autobahn.
It's like war," Italian journalist Michele Galvani wrote about a video.
Napoli fans were on their way to Genoa to see their team's game against Sampdoria, while Rome fans were traveling on the same highway for the Milan game.
Around 1 p.m., according to the Corriere della Sera
report
, almost 150 Naples fans occupied the motorway service station near Arezzo.
As Rome fans drove past on the highway, they threw objects on the road.
The Rome supporters then stopped, turned, and violently clashed with the Naples Ultras.
At least one Rome fan was taken to hospital, the report said - apparently suffering a stab wound.
Traffic collapse in Italy: Rome and Naples fans fight brutal street battles
The police intervened when the opposing fan camps reportedly faced each other with poles, flagpoles, helmets and belts.
A traffic jam also formed on the southbound lane, as passers-by slowed down to observe what was happening and sometimes even film it.
According to
La Repubblica
, both fan camps had already assumed clashes.
It is possible that the first attack by the Neapolitans had even been planned.
also read
Scientists warn: Earth will develop rings like Saturn - and develop the first tractor beam
TO READ
Borderline: when love for dogs becomes pathological
TO READ
61-year-old family man goes to the office every day in a skirt and high heels
TO READ
Finally snow in the Alps!
Weather now makes ski fans happy
TO READ
Researchers discover the oldest known DNA to date - and are surprised by the creatures that match it
TO READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My space
The fans of Rome and Naples have been extremely enemies since the 80s.
Again and again there are brutal, violent clashes.
(rjs)