England v Italy is being played Napoli’s Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, where the Argentina legend played 257 times and won two league titles.
Diego Maradona died aged 60 in 2020.
An FA spokesperson “strongly condemned” the individual, saying the flag included a “highly offensive message”.
“We immediately took steps to have their ticket cancelled before the match,” a statement added.
Maradona, one of the greatest footballers of all time, famously scored his ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in the 1986 World Cup.
In England vs Italy, England fans complain of Naples treatment as ‘water confiscated and buses go the wrong way
England supporters have taken to Twitter to complain about the treatment that they are receiving in Naples ahead of the match between the Three Lions and Italy. Some fans were fearful that they would not arrive at the stadium before the 7.45pm kickoff as the buses went ‘the wrong way’.
Some of the committed supporters may not have made it to the stadium for kick-off though, with numerous fans taking to Twitter to complain that the routes that their coach drivers took were longer than anticipated.
TalkSPORT journalist Faye Carruthers tweeted: “Been speaking to many England fans arriving at the game (and those still not here) who say it’s been farcical trying to get here – have friends who’ve been on a bus for 90 mins (it’s a 25 min journey) – the bus went in the opposite direction to the stadium.
“They’re not likely to make KO – crammed in with standing room only. One fan said the English police outside were “embarrassed” as nothing they said would happen organisation-wise has.”
Other fans complained about how they were treated before entering coaches to head to the stadium. One supporter wrote: “Still on the coach and it’s been nearly an hour. Police took water bottles off everyone before boarding.” Another added: “Literally every England fan getting on these buses has been photographed, their ID photographed too, what is going to be done about that?”
Violence between supporters had been feared prior to the match, with authorities of both countries putting strict plans in place to minimalize the risk of any confrontations breaking out. The FA took action against one England fan earlier on Thursday who was seen with a flag that read ‘Diego’s in a box’, in reference to Napoli legend Diego Maradona who has passed away.
The image was widely condemned on social media, prompting the British authorities to identify the individual and pass the information on to the FA, who cancelled his ticket. They then released a short statement that read: “We strongly condemn the actions of the individual who travelled to Naples with a flag that had a highly offensive message on it. We immediately took steps to have their tickets cancelled before the match. The matter will be reviewed further when we return to England.”
