De Laurentiis: "Football is in the hands of the lords, that's how we destroy. National teams, TV, and fixtures: we need a revolution."

Aurelio De Laurentiis lifts the veil on an Italian football that he defines as "medieval", denouncing mechanisms of power that stifle modernization and put clubs and fans at risk, while calling for a revolution that gives clubs back the power to decide on their players and reforms.

It's not just a simple outburst, but a full-scale accusation against the architecture of Italian football. Aurelio De Laurentiis takes to Radio Crc and lines up accusations, proposals, and international comparisons, painting a picture he bluntly defines as "medieval": a system, he argues, dominated by "big bosses" and mechanisms of power that revolve more around re-elections and the preservation of positions than the modernization of the product.

The target is governance: for the Napoli president, in football "everyone wants to add and no one wants to take away." In other words, competitions, windows, obligations, and fulfillments pile up, without easing anything. And the consequences—he warns—fall on those who pay for the raw material of the game, namely the clubs, and on those who suffer the consequences, namely the fans.

Internationals and injuries: "The club decides."

One of the most challenging points concerns the relationship with the national teams. De Laurentiis criticizes the "incredible carelessness" with which players, "paid by us," are made available for the national teams. His proposal overturns established practice: the club should decide whether or not an athlete can leave, based on their physical condition, schedule, and the club's interests.

It's a topic closely tied to the injury scare and the overload of matches. The Azzurri president uses a domestic metaphor to explain his idea: "You shouldn't destroy a game by playing too much," like when "you throw a dinner party and mess up the menu, put too much on" and end up ruining the experience for everyone. In football, he says, "nightmares" today have a specific name: muscle pulls, relapses, overworked players.

Hence the call for a thorough review of employment relationships: De Laurentiis envisions footballers becoming more like "freelancers" because "they're now companies," and believes it's necessary to reduce "binding" constraints and stress. Furthermore, he also calls for "regulating the power of agents," considering this another key issue affecting contractual balance and the sustainability of the system.

The fan is at the centre (but "the institutions don't protect him")

The Napoli owner's reasoning isn't just about protecting the clubs' investments. There's an almost social interpretation of the championship: fans, he argues, experience Serie A as an event with "true value," a sort of weekly medicine, a "panacea for all ills." And precisely for this reason, he accuses the "institutional leaders" of failing to prioritize the protection of the public and the quality of the experience, overwhelmed by vested interests and an ever-increasing agenda.

In this context, he calls for the need to "sit down" and "reclaim what was established at a certain point" in the past, explicitly citing historical passages linked to Veltroni and Platini, as symbols of choices that he believes have defined—for better or worse—the regulatory and political framework of football.

Politics, rules, and the Melandri Law: "Obstacles for 30 years."

The attack then shifts to the relationship between football and the state. De Laurentiis claims that clubs are "corporations" and cannot be subjected to a "public management" logic, as was the case years ago. In his account, Italian politics is experiencing a contradiction: it is populated by fans, but fails to implement adequate reforms when "football isn't working."

Hence the thrust: for the Napoli president, the government for decades has done nothing but "put obstacles in the way of Italian football being strong, successful, and successful throughout Europe." In this context, he raises the possibility of intervening on the Melandri Law, even suggesting its abolition to restore "absolute freedom of enterprise" and reduce constraints that, he argues, limit the ability to govern and promote the football product.

The League and the call for a change of pace: "Let the owners decide."

The Lega Serie A is also in the crosshairs. De Laurentiis says he invited entrepreneur Saputo "to show up at the Lega" and confesses to a personal weariness: "For 21 years, I've been tired of talking about nothing." The key, for him, is method and the decision-making process.

He argues that real decisions, especially when they involve risk and unpopular choices, can only be made by the owners, and quickly ("within 24 hours"). He says that general managers or administrators—who by nature are called upon to protect the finances—can't be asked to expose themselves and "take a risk." It's an attack that reflects a corporate vision of football: fewer inconclusive discussions, more ownership governance, and clear decisions.

"Watch out for DAZN": the "virtual stadium" issue

The economic issue, however, remains the backbone of the argument. De Laurentiis introduces the concept of a "virtual stadium" and denounces a distortion: "In the real stadium, we sell the tickets, and in the virtual one, others sell them." This is a direct reference to the audiovisual rights market and the streaming industry, with DAZN explicitly cited as a symbol of an ecosystem in which—he argues—clubs lack full control over monetization and strategy.

Here, the accusation is against the League: it's "pretending nothing's happening," when the problem is actually "economic" and structural. The subtext is clear: without a more coherent redistribution of the value generated by digital products, without more direct control, or without rules that favor clubs, the system risks weakening.

Two titles in 2025, Maradona and the "cultural" Napoli

Within this context of institutional conflict, De Laurentiis also opens a more identity-related parenthesis. He returns to the two titles won in 2025 and places them on a different level than in the past: he recalls that under Benitez, two trophies had also been achieved, but "these are different," suggesting a leap in the project's symbolic weight and maturity.

And then there's Maradona, evoked as an impossible measure: "You can never match him," he says, because no one would have had his charisma and that "Neapolitan street urchin spirit." The story even features a cinematic element: with Diego, he reveals, "we even worked on a film," confirming how De Laurentiis's vision of Naples is not just sporting, but also narrative and popular.

Hence the personal memories: his childhood crush on Napoli, even through the "pacifier" in Jacovitti's diary. And the suggestions for initiatives that blend gaming and charity: he imagines a "Merchant at the Fair" featuring historic and contemporary players, an idea he says he immediately shared with Bianchini, and he envisions an evening with "first prize going to charity." It's the snapshot of a president who continues to think of the club as a cultural platform, as well as a footballing one.

Promotion to Serie A, the Scudetto, and the "enjoyment" of the fans

Finally, De Laurentiis returns to one of his defining moments: promotion from Serie B to Serie A. He calls it "an unforgettable moment that leaves its mark on you," because it represents rebirth and redemption. He connects it to his original profession: "I tried to entertain people with cinema," and seeing the fans spread a "sense of redemption" and satisfaction everywhere is a pleasure that, he says, "no other trophy can give you."

Then he slows down when asked if that promotion was more emotional than the Scudetto: "We don't say that," he clarifies, because they're different emotions. He acknowledges the beauty of celebrating the last Scudetto, but returns to the political point: those who institutionally manage football are too tied to their seats and don't understand that the excess of matches and constraints risks eroding the game.

Foreign Models: The NBA and the English Illusion

Finally, international comparisons. De Laurentiis cites the NBA as an example of bargaining power and the ability to pause: after a six-month hiatus, "they sent everyone packing," and then they restarted "with a bang." This is an implicit invitation to consider drastic decisions in football as well, if necessary to rebalance power and sustainability.

On the other hand, he downplays the Premier League's economic myth: according to him, "English football isn't as joyous" as it appears. And his conclusion, consistent with his entire argument, is clear: "Something isn't working in our system."