Rome police put public order plans in place for Europa Conference League final on 25 May.

The highly anticipated clash between AS Roma and Dutch team Feyenoord Rotterdam, which takes place in Albania's capital Tirana, will result in the stopping of buses and trams in Rome on Wednesday night.

Rome police have ordered that public transport, with the exception of the subway and trains, cease to operate from 22.00 on Wednesday until 03.00 that night, reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The city's Stadio Olimpico is set to host tens of thousands of Giallorossi supporters who will watch the high-profile final on giant screens, with kick-off off in Tirana at 21.00.

Security

The public order plans - taken in the context that a Roma victory would flood the city with delirious fans - will see around 1,000 police officers deployed in key areas of Rome including the Olympic Stadium.

Police are treating the event like any championship match, reports the Corriere - even if it is only televised and is being held without fans from an opposing team - with the stadium gates set to open from 18.00.

Fountains

The city will cordon off the Trevi Fountain as well as historic fountains in Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo, with security stepped up in the area around the Spanish Steps.

Alcohol

Rome's prefect Matteo Piantedosi has also banned the take-away sale of alcohol in glass bottles throughout the city's central Municipio I borough from 17.00 on Wednesday until 07.00 the next day.

Metro B 

The city will temporarily suspend its maintenance work on the Metro B line, which currently closes at 21.00 every night between Castro Pretorio and Laurentina.

On Wednesday night the Metro B line will be running until 23.30 and there will be no substitute shuttle buses. 

Roma vs Feyenoord final on 25 May

Roma and Feyenoord were allocated only 4,000 tickets each, resulting in much disappointment for fans unable to attend the UEFA final whose venue - Tirana's Arena Kombetare - has a capacity of just 20,000.

The Albanian government has declared a public holiday in Tirana on Wednesday in honour of the most important football event the country has ever hosted, The Associated Press reports.

What Feyenoord fans did in Rome in 2015

On 19 February 2015 Feyenoord fans rioted in Rome's Piazza di Spagna ahead of a Europa League match against AS Roma which ended in a 1-1 draw.

During clashes the football hooligans smashed glass bottles against the 17th-century Barcaccia fountain, damaging the central part of the baroque monument which had recently been restored.

The chipped fragments of the fountain, accredited to Pietro Bernini with the possible contribution of his famous son Gian Lorenzo, were visible in the waters along with glass bottles and trash.

Drunken Feyenoord fans pelted Rome police with bottles and flares, injuring 13 officers, before vandalising 15 buses in Villa Borghese.

They were also accused of damaging property and private vehicles, intimidating shopkeepers, urinating against apartment doors and jumping on cars.

Two days later the prime minister of The Netherlands, Mark Rutte, telephoned then Italian premier Matteo Renzi to apologise for the behaviour of the football fans, as Dutch companies and citizens in Rome raised funds to help the city to restore the damaged fountain.

In January 2021 a court in Rome convicted six Feyenoord fans in absentia of vandalising the Barcaccia fountain, handing them sentences ranging from three years and eight months to four years.

Photo credit: bestino / Shutterstock.com.