Stadium nearly empty for Napoli-Fiorentina as Saudi fans wanted Milan and Juventus at Supercoppa | OneFootball

The Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh is nearly empty for the first Supercoppa semifinal between Napoli and Fiorentina as Saudi fans hoped to see Milan and Juventus.

Defending Serie A champions Napoli and 2022-2023 Coppa Italia runners-up Fiorentina meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first Supercoppa semifinal on Thursday.

It’s the first time ever that the competition involves four clubs, but the qualification criteria weren’t entirely clear to local fans and media, as explained by La Repubblica.

Journalist Franco Vanni, one of the reporters in Saudi Arabia, wrote that Lega Serie A Luigi De Siervo had to explain at a press conference on Wednesday why Milan and Juventus were not among the clubs participating in the Supercoppa, ensuring that the game between Napoli and Fiorentina ‘would be great.’

It is actually an enjoyable meeting, but Fiorentina and Napoli are playing inside a nearly empty stadium on Thursday.

Neither Napoli nor Fiorentina ultras travelled to Saudi Arabia for the game, but hopefully, attendance will increase for the second semifinal between Inter and Lazio on Friday and the Final next Monday.

The official attendance for tonight’s match was just 9,762.