Aurelio De Laurentiis, the owner of Napoli, has labeled the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as “a dump” that urgently requires a replacement.
De Laurentiis expressed strong criticism of the aging stadium and urged local authorities to permit him to construct a new venue, which could enhance revenue and improve the club’s ability to compete with northern Italian and European teams.
During remarks at the Football Business Forum in Milan, he pointed out Napoli’s financial challenges in rivaling clubs like AC Milan and Inter Milan, which can earn up to €14 million ($16 million) from their Champions League matches.
“In that Maradona dump, we can only generate up to three million. That’s a significant gap, isn’t it?” he stated.
“I’ve been saying this since [Carlo] Ancelotti joined us in 2018. Paris Saint-Germain pays the same rental fee for their stadium that we do, but they have full exclusivity, bringing in 100 million euros annually, while we only have access for three days: before, during, and after the match.”
“It’s an outdated stadium with an athletics track and even a moat that distances fans.”
Milan and Inter are in the process of demolishing San Siro to make way for a modern arena after purchasing it from the city council for €197 million ($226 million).
De Laurentiis, who is willing to fund a new 70,000-seat stadium for Napoli, remarked, “The local authorities are the biggest obstacles to football. They overlook the fact that there are 25 million voters who care about this sport.”
“We need greater flexibility. Clubs should be allowed to build or convert stadiums with integrated housing projects, as that revenue can support long-term investments.”
Defending Serie A champions Napoli currently lead the table, one point ahead of Inter, Milan, and Roma, ahead of their match against Bologna on Sunday.
Antonio Conte’s team has recently struggled with two goalless home draws against Como and Eintracht Frankfurt, and they are currently missing key players Alex Meret, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku.
Bologna, currently sixth and four points off the top, also played to a 0-0 draw in their last match against Brann in the Europa League.
They will be encouraged by the return of winger Riccardo Orsolini, but injuries have left Jens Odgaard and Juan Miranda as doubtful for the matchup.