A soccer fan had the whole home end of a stadium to himself after police banned anyone with certain postal codes.
Steven Faughnan, 36, from Scotland, supports Italian side Atalanta and watched them win 3-0 against Napoli on Sunday – all while sitting on his own.
Police rules meant he had the entire home section of Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to himself.
Due to public safety concerns, anyone with a Lombardy postcode had been barred from buying tickets to the match – but Steven, with his Edinburgh address, was able to secure his seat.
Steven said he was aware of the unique situation before buying a ticket – and says he tried to keep the home side spirit alive despite the empty seats.
“I knew it might be difficult to get a ticket for Napoli given the previous restrictions but thought I would travel over anyway,” said Steven.
“I got lucky I was able to buy a ticket and was treated to a wonderful Atalanta performance. It’s just sad that life long fans from Bergamo could not experience it live.”
“I had this week booked off from work for the last 6 months with the intention of going to any games that Atalanta were playing.”
“It was an amazing experience being a solo away fan in such a big stadium. I did try to make some noise but it was difficult!”
Steven became a fan of the team after meeting Atalanta fans at a Hibernian game in 2016 – and since then, Steven and partner Lauren have become regular visitors to Bergamo.
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“I became interested in Atalanta around 2016 when a small group of Atalanta fans came and stood with me and my friends at a Hibernian game,” said Steven.
“I then got in touch with one of the lads, Giulio, when me and Lauren were going on holiday in Milan.”He managed to help us get tickets for the game v Roma – the opening match of the 2017 season, 1-0 defeat.”
That was us hooked, loved the city, the people, the soccer and the amazing atmosphere in and around the stadium.
“I’ve been to around 24 Atalanta games since then and met so many nice people who are always so helpful.”
Steven has now travelled to Germany to watch the away game at Stuttgart, and says he and Lauren will return to Bergamo at the weekend for the team’s game against the Udinese.
“For me following Atalanta is about more than winning trophies – although that was amazing in Dublin – it’s about the connection the club have to it’s city and supporters.
“It’s unlike anything I have seen before, which is what got me hooked!”
