Napoli confirm Conte's departure after exchanges of barbs with the president
Napoli confirmed this Monday (25) the departure of coach Antonio Conte with a brief four-word message, less than 24 hours after the coach announced his departure in a press conference marked by a debate with the club's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis.
"Thank you for everything, mister", the club posted on social media.
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Napoli ended the season with a 1-0 victory over Udinese, at home, on Sunday (24), a result that guaranteed them runner-up in Serie A, behind champions Inter Milan. After the match, Conte confirmed his departure during the press conference, before entering into a verbal conflict with the club's manager.
De Laurentiis stated that Napoli would have defended the Italian title if the squad had not been so hampered by physical problems throughout the campaign.
The Neapolitan team faced difficulties especially in the final stretch of the season, with important players such as Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo sidelined for long periods due to injuries.
"Without the injuries, we would have been champions," declared De Laurentiis.
The speech provoked an immediate reaction from Conte, who was alongside the president and asked for more recognition of Inter's merits.
"That probably wouldn't have happened. Inter's merits need to be recognized", countered Conte.
"Honestly, I don't like to cling to this type of justification. We need to recognize the victories of others and show respect. If we want respect, we need to offer respect too. Inter deserved to win the championship, injuries or no injuries."
The two also revealed that the decision to end their professional relationship had been taken months before the end of the season.
De Laurentiis avoided mentioning possible replacements for Conte, but suggested that the return of injured players could benefit the team's performance under a new coach.
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Source: CNN