| Matchday at the San Paulo stadium in Naples: a cauldron of footballing passion and spiritual home to 60,000 dedicated Napoli supporters. But a vast banner unfurled at the team's last home game hinted at a darker side to Neapolitans' love of football. "Tickets online," it read. "Never!" The message was the work of a group of die-hard Napoli ultras. The reason for their opposition to online ticket sales is simple: some ultras, long-linked with the local Camorra crime syndicate, make a killing out of buying up batches of tickets, then selling them on to eager fans for up to three times their face value. Online sales could help put an end to that. The scam was highlighted last season when tickets went on sale for Napoli's Champions League match against Chelsea. Camorra-backed thugs bullied their way to the front of the queue, leaving many fans empty-handed, after a 12-hour wait for the chance to see their heroes in action against the London club. |
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