A football fan has the entire home section of the stadium to himself after police stopped several postcodes

A soccer fan had a stadium to himself after police stopped anyone with certain postcodes.

Steven Faughnan, 36, from Scotland, supports Italian side Atalanta and watched them win 3-0 against Napoli on Sunday – all while sitting alone.

Police rules meant he had the entire home section of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to himself.

Due to public safety concerns, anyone with a Lombardy postcode was banned from buying tickets for the match – but Steven, with his address in Edinburgh, was able to secure his place.

Steven said he was aware of the unique situation before buying a ticket – and says he tried to keep the home team spirit alive despite the empty seats.

“I knew it might be difficult to get a ticket to Naples given the previous restrictions, but I thought I would travel anyway,” Steven said.

“I was lucky enough to be able to buy a ticket and was treated to a wonderful Atalanta performance. It’s just sad that lifelong fans from Bergamo couldn’t experience it live.”

“I had booked this week from work for the last 6 months with the intention of going to a match that Atalanta was playing.”

“It was a fantastic experience to be the only away fan in such a big stadium. I tried to make some noise, but it was hard!”

Steven became a fan of the team after meeting Atalanta fans at a Hibernian game in 2016 – and since then, Steven and partner Lauren have become regular visitors to Bergamo.

“I became interested in Atalanta around 2016 when a small group of Atalanta fans came and stayed with me and my friends at a Hibernian game,” said Steven.

“Then I got in touch with one of the boys, Giulio, when Lauren and I were going on holiday in Milan, he managed to help us get tickets for the game against Roma – the 2017 season opener, 1-0.” defeat.”

We were hooked, we loved the city, the people, the football and the amazing atmosphere in and around the stadium.

“I’ve been to about 24 Atalanta games since then and I’ve met a lot of nice people who are always so helpful.”

Steven has now traveled to Germany to watch the away game in Stuttgart and says he and Lauren will return to Bergamo at the weekend for the team’s game against Udinese.

“For me, following Atalanta is more than winning trophies – although that was amazing in Dublin – it’s about the connection the club has with the city and its supporters.

“It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before, which is what drew me in!”