On Wednesday, Gareth Southgate gave his pre-match press conference ahead of England’s UEFA Euro qualifier, which will be played at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday. When asked by BBC reporter Jane Dougall if he had concerns for England fans, Southgate has nothing but positive things to say about Naples.
“I think everyone is looking forward to the experience of coming to Naples. You know, personally I’m excited to play in a city that loves football, with a great history. To come here where I can just about remember Maradona when they won the league, and Careca, so I’m excited about that from a football side. And, always, we ask our fans to be good tourists and to respect the local culture and we hope that the game, and the next couple of days, passes with no problems.”
Dougall persisted, asking Southgate of we would have preferred the match be played at a different venue, but Southgate reiterated his excitement to play in Naples.
“I’m excited to be coming here, as I said. I’ve never been to Naples before and, as I’ve said, that history of football here is really rich. The club team at the moment, they’re absolutely flying. They’re a fantastic team, they’re going to win the league and they’ve got a really good draw in the Champions League. So I think they’re going to be very close to winning that as well.”
