The Principality is bracing for an influx of Manchester City fans on Wednesday, March 15, when AS Monaco face the UK club in the second leg of a Champions League fixture.
To help minimise the risk of visiting fans getting out of hand, the sale of alcohol will be banned anywhere in Monaco on match day. In addition, drinking on the streets within 500 metres of Stade Louis II is also banned, meaning that the old stand-by of bringing drink in cans is not an option.
The local press in Manchester has helpfully pointed out that Nice is not far away and the drinks ban won’t apply. However, since the stadium butts up against the border with France, Cap d’Ail will also be an option for thirsty Man City fans, one Manchester newspaper wrote.
Manchester City fans were originally allocated 900 seats for the game, and this has since been increased by 500 additional tickets after talks with AS Monaco. The visiting fans will be held back after the final whistle and a free train service will run to Nice at 11:30 pm. State Louis II has a capacity of 18,500, but most games are played to a gate of less than 9,000.