Napoli fans revolt against fixture list over heat and kick-off times

Sunday's 12:30 kick-off at Fiorentina's Franchi, played in the heat of late summer, has set off a social media backlash against the slots the league keeps giving Napoli.

by Gennaro SanninoMonday 21 September, 18:25 CET· 2 hours ago

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona di Napoli

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona — Foto: Mister No · CC BY 3.0

Napoli supporters have flooded social media and local radio with complaints about the fixture list drawn up by the Lega Calcio, Italian football's league body. The trigger was Sunday 20 September's game at the Franchi, Fiorentina's ground, which kicked off at 12:30 in late-September heat — a slot supporters and players alike found brutal.

It is not an isolated complaint. Napoli's home win over Bologna, settled by a Lobotka goal in the 66th minute, kicked off at 18:00, another slot where the heat had not yet eased. Fans point out that other big clubs are regularly given the 20:45 evening slot, while Napoli's kick-offs keep landing in the hottest part of the day.

It's a question of respect, for the players' health and for the sacrifices fans make: a disgraceful fixture list.

The frustration is not only about a match slowed by the heat. It is also about the logistics for fans travelling to games in the middle of the day — one more irritant in a season that has already tested patience in the city, with Napoli ninth on 7 points.