Giuseppe Rubino, the police chief of Rome, is going to crack down on Feyenoord supporters who still try to enter the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday evening. That’s what the Italian says in conversation with it General Journal. The return between AS Roma and Feyenoord is scheduled for Thursday, but fans of the Rotterdam club are absolutely not welcome. “Whoever is singled out can expect sanctions,” said Rubino.
Rome is taking even stricter measures prior to Feyenoord’s return to the Italian capital than they normally would during the fraught city derby between Roma and Lazio. About 1,000 officers will monitor squares in Rome’s inner city. The police are doing everything they can to prevent the scenes of eight years ago. Several fountains have been cordoned off, while stricter controls are being carried out at airports and stations. In February 2015, approximately 5,000 Feyenoord players were present in Rome, currently there are a lot fewer, says Rubino.
“There are forty men in Naples, we keep a close eye on them,” said the Roman police chief. “And this morning a group of fifteen people arrived at the airport.” As a measure, Roma introduced that the Dutch are not allowed to buy tickets, but it is expected that about 500 Feyenoord supporters will be in Rome on Thursday. Rubino states that this group is ‘very welcome’ to enjoy the city, but warns immediately. “Anyone who comes here with the intention of disturbing public order can expect a firm response from the Roman police.”
Rubino also wants to be able to guarantee the safety of Feyenoord players, he says. The atmosphere between supporters of the Rotterdam club and the Roma supporters could be grim, especially given the past. Partly because of this, the police chief does not want to see away supporters on the home sections. “Anyone who tries to enter with an illegal ticket will be singled out and risk a sanction.” Rubino does not want to say what the sanctions entail, but emphasizes that the supporters in question will not see anything of the game in that case.