The city councilor Sergio D'Angelo (Napoli Solidale) has turned to the mayor Gaetano Manfredi, which has the delegation for the Maradona stadium and was present in the courtroom, inviting him to enforce the payment by the SSC Napoli of the back fees starting from 2019 for the use of the facility, which amount to approximately 3,5 million.
"I made it clear to the mayor that it is not a technical issue but a political one, which therefore concerns the city and the Neapolitans, given the public ownership of the Maradona that Napoli uses in a non-exclusive manner only for its home games. I am not unaware of the difficult conditions caused by the pandemic, difficulties that have however had a disruptive impact on the lives of ordinary citizens, especially those with lower incomes, and small businesses", says D'Angelo.
According to D'Angelo, any solution, which will in any case have to be submitted to the scrutiny of the Court of Auditors, must be defined within the legal perimeter traced by the Draghi government in the measures to combat the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic emergency, therefore within the parameters of the discounts applicable to private companies in their relationship with public bodies.
“Therefore, I exclude solutions aimed at exemption from fees, especially since the annual amount of 850 thousand euros plus VAT applied to SSC Napoli seems modest to me compared to the company's turnover and must be classified in some way as a business risk, except for reductions provided for by current legislation”, adds the councilor of Napoli Solidale.
“I am absolutely certain that different choices would not be understood by the city, especially after the signing of the so-called Pact for Naples which makes the improvement of debt collection a collective commitment. – underlines Sergio D'Angelo – Different decisions would therefore be unacceptable both for citizens and for companies or amateur associations that have not benefited from measures of this magnitude. It would be a bad signal that a progressive government like ours cannot afford to send. There is no need to delay, therefore. SSC Napoli must pay what it owes to the city, also providing an example that makes us proud as a symbol of our community's identity".
Article published on 26 July 2022 - 15:40
