Aurelio De Laurentiis has received large bids for Napoli, but he plans to hold on to the club. The chairman spoke about that and a few other business-related topics during an event hosted by Il Sole 24 Ore (via La Repubblica).
“A year ago, they offered €2.5B for the team, but I asked myself whether I really needed the money. I should have acquired a side in England, but my roots are here. The Azzurri are a toy of my family at this point. I see no reason to give it up until we get tired. Instead, we’ll have to part ways with Bari if they don’t change the law. But I’d be happy to keep it since I’m a Southerner.”
De Laurentiis doesn’t favor Serie A getting some help from private equity funds.
“We have to see football as a business or we won’t go anywhere, but we are only halfway there in Italy. It’s a very important matter, but they usually invest to turn in a profit and, in a way, they subtract profitability from such sector since they don’t do it for free. I’m against them because they don’t know anything about the sport. If you are not part of this world, you can hire the most prestigious managers and build a media company, but it’s not certain you’ll get the results you want.”
De Laurentiis had a few choice words toward the governing body.
“We are weak because we don’t have capable people. But you have to choose them after putting together a plan. As for the stadiums, we are lagging behind other nations. The main problems are the mafia and the red tape.”
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