Juventus have banned fans who were born in the region of Campania from attending the home match against Napoli, the club announced on Thursday.
The Italian champions will face Napoli in Serie A at the Juventus Stadium on Aug. 31 in Maurizio Sarri’s first home game in charge.
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Juventus announced on the club website that no away supporters will be permitted to enter the stadium, which has been the case in previous seasons given the rivalry between the two clubs.
But the statement also said that ban will now extend to fans who born in Campania, the region of which Napoli is the capital
Juventus boss Sarri was born in Naples and would therefore also be banned under the same criteria had he been a match-going fan.
Sarri was in charge of Napoli for three years and his side came close to beating Juventus to the 2017-18 title, when the Azzurri amassed 91 points — a record for a runner-up in Serie A.
Sarri’s appointment was greeted with mixed feelings in Turin given he held up his middle finger to a group of Juventus supporters before a match between the two sides in 2018.
There have been a number of problems regarding the issue of territorial discrimination in Italy, with Juve’s under-15 team handed a one match ban following a video posted on Instagram which showed the players performing an offensive chant after a game against Napoli in 2018.
Juventus face Atletico Madrid in a preseason match on Saturday before starting their title defence away at Parma on Aug. 24.
ESPN FC have contacted Napoli for comment.