Napoli- “The greatest player in the world played in the Maradona stadium, I would be sorry to have to leave him”. Aurelio De Laurentiis, president of Napoli, does not deny his affection for the facility named after Diego Armando Maradona, but admits the need for a change of pace.
"We are trying to do everything to stay at Maradona - he explained during a debate organized by the city coordination of Fratelli d'Italia - but I can't park 10 cars here. Even if progress has been made with the subway, a problem is the space for commercial activities. I would like a stadium with 65 seats for Neapolitans, plus 3 for guests".
Filmauro's CEO then underlined the structural criticalities of the facility, inaugurated in 1959 and quickly renovated for the 1990 World Cup: “You have to evaluate the level of antiquity. It was massacred”.
The request to the government: "The Superintendencies should not block sport"
De Laurentiis launched an appeal to the Minister of Sport, Andrea Abodi, present at the initiative together with the mayor Gaetano Manfredi: “I ask the minister to urge Meloni to intervene. There is a law that allows the construction of commercial areas to balance the accounts of clubs, which are always in debt. But that is not the only problem: the Superintendencies should not interfere, they have nothing to do with sport”.
Without mincing words, the patron criticized the bureaucratic delays that have held up similar projects in Bologna and Florence: “We send the stupidities of these cities back to the sender. A decisive intervention is needed”.
Farewell to Castel Volturno, in search of new lands
Meanwhile, Napoli is preparing to change the location of its training sessions. “I have been looking for land for the new sports centre for two years,” he revealed. De Laurentiis –. In a year I will have to leave Castel Volturno because my contract expires”.
The goal is to find a functional area for the team and the youth sector: “I need 20 hectares to build 10 fields, plus covered spaces. I would like a place that is easily accessible even for 10-11 year old children, who need to be able to get there easily after school”. A revolution in sight, between nostalgia and necessity, while Napoli looks to the future.
Article published by Giuseppe Del Gaudio on March 30, 2025, at 13:08 AM
Comments (1)
I don't know if it's right to change the stadium like this, even if the Maradona needs improvements. But 65 thousand seats seem a lot, and I hope that the historicity of the place, which is important for the fans, is not lost.