Antonio Conte announces farewell to Napoli but dribbles the national team

Antonio Conte has officially announced his farewell to Napoli. After greeting the Maradona crowd at the end of the 1-0 win over Udinese, the coach spoke at a press conference with President Aurelio De Laurentiis. “A month ago I called the president and asked nothing. Neither about the project nor about downsizing. I sensed that my path here was coming to an end. I was not interested in anything, I made this decision. When I can’t change things, I come to a decision. The president told me, ‘If you reconsider, until the last day I am at your disposal’.”

De Laurentiis also reconstructed the confrontation he had with the coach: “To Conte I said, ‘Here for me is your home, but if you don’t feel more serene, not with Napoli, not with the city, but with a mode of the championship that the club makes you do in a certain way…’ Napoli cannot be Real Madrid, Barcelona, the top five English teams or Bayern Munich. We have to respect certain budgets and we cannot go beyond that.” The president then attacked the system of prosecutors and some of the institutional dynamics of soccer.

During the conference, there was no shortage of direct confrontation between the two. “If you had not had all these injuries, you would still have won the Scudetto,” De Laurentiis said. Conte’s retort was immediate: “No, I don’t agree. We were challenging an Inter team that had strengthened and it was really difficult.”

Differences also on the so-called “Arsenal model.” De Laurentiis noted, “They were eighth and came back to win. Also thanks to a top facility built inside the city of London.” Conte, shaking his head, retorted, “But they weren’t a Bournemouth, they were already a top club and they spent so much.”

The coach then took some stones off his shoe: “In Naples I failed in not being able to compact the environment. I saw so much venom and discord against me and my players. Whoever spreads poisons is a failure. He does it to get a like on the post or to say, ‘Look at Conte how he attacked the team.’ Instead, Naples needs serious people. Coaching here has been a prestige and an honor, I thank President De Laurentiis for this chance, it has been two good years.”

Antonio Conte has officially announced his farewell to Napoli. After bidding farewell to the Maradona crowd at the end of the 1-0 win over Udinese, the coach spoke at a press conference with President Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Conte explained, “A month ago I called the president and I didn’t ask anything. Neither about the project nor about downsizing. I sensed that my path here was coming to an end. I was not interested in anything, I made this decision. When I can’t change things, I come to a decision. The president told me, ‘If you reconsider, until the last day I am at your disposal’.”

De Laurentiis also reconstructed the confrontation he had with the coach: “To Conte I said, ‘Here for me is your home, but if you don’t feel more serene, not with Napoli, not with the city, but with a mode of the championship that the club makes you do in a certain way…’ Napoli cannot be Real Madrid, Barcelona, the top five English teams or Bayern Munich. We have to respect certain budgets and we cannot go beyond that.” The president then attacked the system of prosecutors and some of the institutional dynamics of soccer.

During the conference, there was no shortage of direct confrontation between the two. “If you had not had all these injuries, you would still have won the Scudetto,” De Laurentiis said. Conte’s retort was immediate: “No, I don’t agree. We were challenging an Inter team that had strengthened and it was really difficult.”

Differences also on the so-called “Arsenal model.” De Laurentiis noted, “They were eighth and came back to win. Also thanks to a top facility built inside the city of London.” Conte, shaking his head, retorted, “But they weren’t a Bournemouth, they were already a top club and they spent so much.”

The coach then took some stones off his shoe: “In Naples I failed in not being able to compact the environment. I saw so much venom and discord against me and my players. Whoever spreads poisons is a failure. He does it to get a like on the post or to say, ‘Look at Conte how he attacked the team.’ Instead, Naples needs serious people. Coaching here has been a prestige and an honor, I thank President De Laurentiis for this opportunity, it’s been two good years.”

Among the best memories, Conte pointed to the day of the Scudetto: “The best day? When we won and celebrated the Scudetto in front of our fans. In both seasons we came in front of Milan and Juventus, I think you have to be proud of that.”

Space also to the difficult moment experienced after the Bologna match in November. De Laurentiis recounted, “It can happen to everyone to have a moment of strong disappointment. I told him to be calm, at home, and to rest.”

Conte clarified that episode this way: “After Bologna I simply said I did not want to make anonymous championships. Never have I done them and never will I do them. I will never accompany a dead man and I was also ready to step aside. Surely some graft from the buying campaign had not fit in with the old group and it was right to denounce those dynamics and take responsibility. We talked to each other, we clarified and, all in the same boat, we rowed with the wind against us and we started again.”

Closing on the national team: “I simply said that if I were the federal president, I would consider my name. But at the moment there is still no federal president. Guardiola’s name has also been mentioned. But is the federation ready to have such a top coach? There are honors and burdens and status to be met. Is there the funding? Someone has proposed it, I would be the first to want it, but …”.