NAPOLI CEO AURELIO DE LAURENTIIS ON WALTER MAZZARRI’S SACKING: “PAINFUL TO SACK A FRIEND”

Napoli CEO Aurelio de Laurentiis has revealed that it was a painful feeling to sack a friend like Walter Mazzarri, as the Serie A side look to have their third manager in the season.

The Partenopei have sacked Mazzarri already, with the club having informed the Italian about the decision and having had a meeting with his earlier. Napoli take on Barcelona on Wednesday and new manager Francesco Calzona will be in charge of training tomorrow onwards, as he has signed a six-month deal till the end of the season, having agreed to manage both Napoli and Slovakia at the same time.

De Laurentiis spoke to Sky Italia about Mazzarri’s exit and Calzona arrival and stated that is was painful to bid farewell to Mazzari.

“Walter Mazzarri is a friend of the De Laurentiis family and above all a friend of Napoli. It’s always painful to sack a friend, I thanked him for coming in a moment of difficulty but we must also consider that we need to be able to give something more to Napoli and the Napoli fans. And now we try to give it through Calzona, who worked here with Sarri and then with Spalletti and who knows 80% of our players.”

He also had more to say about Calzona and why he is being hired. De Laurentiis stated:  “Now let’s welcome Calzona and try to help him without conflicts because it will always be very complicated to prepare in 24 players for a difficult match against an important team with Barcelona, who have great players and it’s always Barcelona. Calzona will come here to the hotel with all his collaborators at half past eight, we’ll talk for a long time, then we’ll go to Castel Volturno, I’ll introduce him even if he doesn’t need introductions to all the kids, even if there are some new kids he doesn’t know and they joined both in January and this summer.

“It will be a complete immersion in a new reality , then we will have to escape to the stadium after training for this fateful UEFA conference. One should also have time for a moment to concentrate on the serious things of football life, that is, at this moment prepare well for the match against Barcelona.”

Calzona worked at Napoli under both Luciano Spalletti and Maurizio Sarri and his Slovakia side has already made it to the Euros.