Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina has praised Napoli for their sporting success on the pitch, with the Partenopei enroute a historic path in both the UEFA Champions League and Serie A. The football executive, who has held his post since 2018, also believes national academies represent the best chance for Italian football to progress.
In an exclusive interview with Il Mattino (via Calciomercato), Gravina shed light on the future of football in the peninsula.
“The system is not far-sighted: the national academies represent the truly great opportunity for the future of Italian football, both in terms of costs and technical values. We have to believe in it, otherwise we won’t be able to give continuity to these results.”
Gravina then praised Aurelio De Laurentiis for his strategic management at Napoli, where the club chief cut costs by relieving high wage players and onboarding budding talent son a relatively affordable payroll.
“The numbers of the crisis are merciless: then comes De Laurentiis who wins with the balance sheets in order. Is this the management line to follow? At the end of last football season, the Napoli owners had the merit of understanding and accepting that the cost of the squad was no longer sustainable. They reversed course, entrusting the management and the coach with a clear task: to win by force ideas, on and off the pitch. Regardless of the final victory, Napoli’s current performances represent a true sporting feat. A positive example for other clubs.”
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