Napoli: “This is the ‘scudetto’ of loyalty”

Napoli are one step away from winning the ‘scudetto’ after a 33-year wait since achieving that feat with Diego Armando Maradona as it appears in 1990. After losing the first ‘match-ball’ on Sunday after playing at home against Salernitana (1-1), the team currently led by Luciano Spalletti they can become champions this Wednesday, five days from the end of Serie A, if Lazio draw or lose at home to Sassuolo or if the ‘azzurri’ add a point on Thursday when they visit Udinese.

Exactly this meeting will be held at 8:45 pm, despite the fact that on Monday it is considered to advance its beginning, after a meeting held today between the authorities of Naples and Aurelius DeLaurentiis.

When it was over, the president and owner of the club went on and assured the media that “I won the ‘scudetto’ of loyalty. The winning cycle? I think it started a long time ago. It’s been years of our success, we were able to win over others and it seemed like we won over them but the constant irregularity sometimes slowed us down”.

De Laurentiis, film producer and president of Napoli since its re-establishment in 2004, disputed his complaint even without detailing the irregularities that led to Juventus becoming champions. “There were years when we were second and I wish we would have been first. We can win more ‘scudetti’ but we definitely won the honesty ones, because I know that to survive you have to follow the rules, whether you like it or not.”

From “poor” to champion

De Laurenitis took the league title, the third in the club’s history after 1987 and 1990, which Napoli came close to winning. “Now my enthusiasm is huge after hearing nonsense like I don’t want to win the ‘scudetto’. At the end of May I said that I expected to win it and they looked at me with dismay thinking that “poor”. The enthusiasm is above all to see the joy that all this represents for everyone. I am proud to see this enthusiasm to which I also contributed a little.”