A soccer fan had the entire home end of the stadium to himself after police banned people with certain postcodes.
Stephen Faughnan, 36, from Scotland, is a supporter of Italian side Atalanta and sat alone to watch Atalanta beat Napoli 3-0 on Sunday.
Due to police regulations, he had the entire home section of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to himself.
Provided by Stephen Fornan/SWNS
Due to public safety concerns, people with postcodes in Lombardy were prohibited from purchasing tickets for the match, but Stephen, who had an address in Edinburgh, was able to secure a seat.
Stephen said he was aware of the unique circumstances before purchasing the tickets and said he tried to maintain home team spirit despite the empty seats.
“I knew it would be difficult to get a ticket to Naples given the previous restrictions, but I decided to travel anyway,” Stephen said.
“We were lucky enough to be able to buy tickets and watch Atalanta's amazing performance. It's really sad that Bergamo's long-time fans couldn't experience it live.”
“I'm going to the Atalanta game this week, so I've been off work for the past six months.”
Provided by Stephen Fornan/SWNS
“It was a great experience to be alone as an away fan in such a big stadium. I tried to make some noise but it was difficult!”
Stephen became a fan of the team after meeting an Atalanta fan at a Hibernian match in 2016, and since then Stephen and his partner Lauren have become regular visitors to Bergamo.
“I started getting interested in Atalanta around 2016 when a small group of Atalanta fans came and stood with me and my friends at a Hibernian match,” Stephen said.
“Later on, when me and Lauren were on holiday in Milan, I contacted one of the lads, Giulio,” he said of the opening game of the 2017 season, 1-0 against Roma. They helped me get tickets. defeat. “
That hooked us and we loved the city, the people, the football and the great atmosphere in and around the stadium.
“Since then, I have gone to about 24 Atalanta games and met so many nice people who have always been so kind to me.”
Steven is currently traveling to Germany to watch an away game in Stuttgart, and will return to Bergamo with Lauren for the match against Udinese at the weekend.
“Following Atalanta for me is about more than winning trophies, I was great in Dublin, but it's about the connection the club has with the city and the supporters.
“It was completely different from anything I had seen before, and that’s what hooked me!”
