Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, recently spoke at the Senate about the challenges facing sports clubs, including the need for government intervention. He emphasized the need for legislative changes to help clubs recover financially, blaming the excessive freedom granted to player agents for the mounting debts in football. De Laurentiis proposed extending contract durations to combat agents’ influence on player salaries and prevent clubs from acting as agents to avoid potential illegal practices.
De Laurentiis also raised concerns about the overly packed football calendars, with players facing burnout from the increasing number of matches. He warned that players might retire earlier or struggle in subsequent seasons due to the physical and mental toll of the congested schedule. The Napoli president highlighted the lack of proper stadium infrastructure and the need for crowd behavior regulation, citing the issue of hooliganism in Italy and the relative success of England in tackling such problems.
De Laurentiis urged for stadium upgrades and tighter crowd control measures to create safer environments for fans and players. He criticized the government’s reluctance to address the issues of fan violence and stadium safety, highlighting a sense of lawlessness in Italian stadiums. The Napoli president’s remarks shed light on the need for comprehensive reforms in Italian football to ensure sustainable financial practices, player welfare, and fan safety in the sport.
