Carlo Ancelotti, manager of Italian Serie A football club Napoli, has said that he is “outraged” by the state of the dressing rooms at the Stadio San Paolo in a strongly-worded statement directed at the local council.
Napoli has been forced to play the first two league matches of the season away from home following renovation work at the San Paolo over the summer. The stadium hosted the summer Universiade multi-sport event in July.
The club is due to host Sampdoria in Serie A on Saturday before Liverpool visits Naples next Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League. It has now emerged that all of the renovations have not been completed, with significant work still needed to be done in the dressing rooms.
In a statement published on Napoli’s website, Ancelotti said: “I saw the conditions of the San Paolo dressing rooms. There are no words. I accepted the request to play the first two games away from home to allow the work to be completed, as was promised. In two months you can build a house … they have not been able to redo the changing rooms!
“Where should we change to play against Sampdoria and Liverpool? I am outraged by the incorrectness and inadequacy of those who had to carry out these jobs. How have the region, municipality and commissioners been able to disregard the commitments made? I see a contempt and a non-attachment to the city’s team. I am dismayed.”
After the statement was published last night (Wednesday), Napoli tweeted a video this morning showing the current state of the dressing rooms, with much work clearly needing to be done before Saturday’s match.
Queste le condizioni degli spogliatoi del Napoli dello stadio San Paolo, a 70 ore da #NapoliSampdoria, che hanno scatenato la reazione di @MrAncelotti contro Regione, Comune e Commissari. pic.twitter.com/YAROtscwIh
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) September 12, 2019
In July, the Municipality of Naples approved a new lease agreement for the use of the San Paolo by Napoli. After what was said to have been a long debate on the matter, a majority vote gave the green light to a five-year deal backdated to the 2018-19 season and running on to 2022-23.
It remains unclear whether Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis will sign the lease agreement. De Laurentiis has had a fractious relationship with local authorities, with the stadium one of the main reasons for the tension.
In January, the Municipality reportedly issued an ultimatum to Napoli calling on it settle a €4m (£3.6m/$4.4m) debt in order to continue using the stadium.
The 60,240-capacity stadium first opened in December 1959 but had received little improvement since Italy hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1990.
Image: Mister No
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