The city of Milan is set to place some restrictions on the sale of alcohol within the city as a safety measure ahead of tomorrow evening’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg between Inter and Benfica.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who report that the measures will be taken to limit the potential danger and unruliness of the four thousand or so travelling Benfica supporters present for the match.
In just over 24 hours, Inter will kick off one of the most important matches of their season against Benfica for a place in the Champions League semifinal.
Unsurprisingly, the San Siro will be a packed house, and just as predictably this will include the away section, with the match just as significant for Benfica supporters as it is for the Nerazzurri fans.
In total, around four thousand tickets have been sold to Benfica fans for tomorrow’s match, and the city of Milan is taking some measures to mitigate the potential safety issues that could arise from the presence of the Portuguese supporters around the stadium.
The Gazzetta also reports that there are around a thousand supporters among the travelling Benfica contingent who are considered to pose a particular risk for public disorder in Lisbon, where they are known to law enforcement.
However, due to budgetary cutbacks, there will be no Lisbon police officers accompanying the travelling supporters to ensure that behaviour does not get out of hand.
Accordingly, the city has some precautions lined up to avoid public disorder.
The main one will concern the sale of alcoholic beverages around the city.
Between the hours of 9:00 CET and 20:00 CET, in certain areas of the city where travelling Benfica fans are expected to be congregated, the sale of alcoholic beverages and spirits will be prohibited, whilst all beverages in cans and glass containers will not be allowed either.
