The president of Napoli speaks about some of the things that, in his opinion, are hindering investment in Serie A! | OneFootball

The famous businessman is not happy working in Italian football.

The president of Napoli speaks about some of the things that, in his opinion, are hindering investment in Serie A!

Aurelio De Laurentiis, the outspoken president of SSC Napoli, has launched a fresh critique against the entrenched structures of modern football. Speaking at a recent gala, he argued that the sport's current model is fundamentally broken, crippled by financial unsustainability and an overwhelming physical burden on players.

At the heart of his argument is a direct challenge to one of European football's sacred pillars: promotion and relegation. De Laurentiis contends that the ever-present specter of the drop actively stifles ambition and investment.

"Relegation is a huge mistake," he asserted. "When this threat is hanging over your head, you’re afraid to invest."

As his blueprint for an alternative future, he points across the Atlantic to the NBA. In his view, the stability guaranteed by a closed league system has been the catalyst for transforming franchises into global billion-dollar brands, precisely because it allows owners to plan and invest with a long-term horizon.

Beyond the financial model, De Laurentiis highlighted another critical flaw: the sport's vulnerability to chaos. He identified unpredictable injury crises as a destabilizing force that can derail even the best-laid plans.

"Problems always stem from injuries, which are impossible to foresee," he explained, alluding to Napoli's own struggles this season. "No one expected seven players of such caliber to be sidelined. In football, everything is either a tragedy or a celebration."

His criticism extended to the governing bodies themselves, accusing sports organizations of leveraging clubs not for the good of the sport, but as pawns to consolidate their own influence and power.

This latest broadside from the Napoli chief comes as his club, the reigning Serie A champions, navigates a season of high expectations, currently finding themselves in second place in the league table. His comments frame the challenges of defending a title not just as a sporting battle, but as a fight against a system he believes is fundamentally stacked against long-term success.