Arsenal fans will be banned from drinking alcohol in Milan before the Gunners face Inter Milan (Image: Getty/Express Sport)
Thousands of Arsenal fans have been banned from drinking alcohol for their Champions League away tie against Inter Milan.
The Gunners will be travelling to northern Italy for their crunch league phase clash at the San Siro on Wednesday as Mikel Arteta’s men look to extend their unbeaten run in the competition.
Arsenal announced in late September that they had received an allocation of 4,361 tickets in the away section of the Giuseppe Meazza. It is expected that they have filled their quota, with thousands of fans set to embark upon their journey to Milan on Monday and Tuesday.
However, they will be met with a sobering reality when they touch down in Italy. A statement on the Italian Government website confirmed that Prefect Claudio Sgaraglia has issued a ban on alcoholic beverages being sold or served before Arsenal play Inter.
The ban will come into force for 12 hours from 8am to 8pm on November 6, 2024 in the Centro area of Milan, which is popular with tourists. This includes popular areas such as Piazza San Babila, Piazza Duomo, Piazza Cordusio, Largo Cairoli, Largo Beltrami, Piazza Castello and Foro Buonaparte, the Darsena, the Navigli, Corso Como, the Sempione area and in the San Siro.
Sgaraglia has also added a provision which prohibits takeaway parlours from allowing fans to purchase alcohol in plastic or glassic cups.
Arsenal fans will be denied the chance of drink between certain hours in Italy (Image: Getty)
Other surrounding areas will have bans in place from 12pm to midnight.
In a statement, the Italian Ministero dell’ Interno said: “The ban […] established to ensure the safety of the event and prevent possible disturbances of public order due to alcohol abuse.”
It will be nothing new for Arsenal fans, who have already been prevented from drinking at an away fixture in Italy when they drew 0-0 with Atalanta. However, there were designated drinking areas in Bergamo that were placed under control by local police.
Pizza Duomo is one of the most popular spots for fans to celebrate (Image: Getty)
It appears Italian authorities are wary of potential crowd trouble erupting between fans from both sets of clubs ahead of the clash after the government released a statement confirming the temporary ban.
A series of ugly clashes involving supporters of English clubs and European fans have taken place in recent years. England and Serbia fans were arrested in Berlin, Germany, at Euro 2024 prior to their group-stage match at the Olympiastadion.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1971599/Arsenal-alcohol-ban-Champions-League-Inter-Milan