Napoli v HNK Rijeka: Hosts pay tribute to Maradona at Stadio San Paolo
- Published
Fans gathered outside the Stadio San Paolo on Wednesday to pay their respects to Diego Maradona
Napoli paid tribute to their legendary former player Diego Maradona before their Europa League match against HNK Rijeka on Thursday.
Argentina great Maradona, who won two Serie A titles with Napoli, died on Wednesday aged 60.
The Stadio San Paolo was illuminated in Maradona's honour on Wednesday night as fans gathered to pay their respects.
Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis wrote in an open letter that he wants to rename the stadium after Maradona.
The mayor of Naples, Luigi de Magistris, also backed the idea.
In an letter paying tribute to Maradona, De Laurentiis wrote: "You leave us with a great testament of what it means to be a man of fragility, strength and absolute love for life and one's neighbour.
"Your weaknesses, your imperfections, your mistakes are tantamount to your immense greatness."
A minute's silence was held before Thursday's match against Croatian side Rijeka, during which all the Napoli players wore shirts with 'Maradona 10' on the back.
Napoli won the match 2-0 and lead Group F by two points with two games to play.
Maradona was at Napoli between 1984-91 and helped them win the league title in 1987 and 1990, and the Uefa Cup in 1989.
"I believe it is right to name the San Paolo after you, so we can keep you with us as a witness of the excellent path this team has taken," De Laurentiis added.
"Thank you, Diego. You are, and will always be, with all of us."
'A vindication of Maradona' - analysis
Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague, in Naples
As soon as I walked into Naples, the first conversation I had was, of course, about Diego Maradona.
You drive up the hills to the Spanish quarter and you start to see more celebration of Maradona. Tonight, everybody who has something of Maradona will put it on balconies all over the city.
You begin to sense that what has happened is massive.
Even though the average age of people [around the stadium] is very young, I spoke to some guys who said that although they never saw him play they heard about him many times.
They talk about the Napoli side that beat the North, beat the rich man. In Napoli, you smell that it is a poor place. You see it, but you smell it as well.
Nothing prepared me for coming to the stadium. They have the sound track 'Ho visto Maradona' on, they keep chanting, there are flares, banners and flags. There is an area in front of a big flag that reads 'the king', where people have left candles and photos and all kinds of memorabilia.
There must easily be 300, 400 people. This is, at the moment, a sense of celebration that Maradona belonged to them. The sense is he hasn't died, there are people crying but it is a vindication of Maradona as one of their own and he will not be forgotten here.
People gathered outside the Stadio San Paolo on Wednesday night
There are numerous murals and paintings of Maradona in Naples
The stadium was illuminated on Wednesday following Maradona's death
Fans continued to visit the San Paolo stadium on Thursday to pay their respects before the game
More tributes were left outside the San Paolo stadium before Thursday's game
There was an image of Diego Maradona on the video screen at the San Paolo stadium while the players warmed up and during a minute's silence
Before the game all the Napoli players wore shirts with 'Maradona 10' on the back