Football: “You really want to get fired ?”, the president of Naples pays Rudi Garcia once again

Rudi Garcia et Aurelio De Laurentiis lors de la présentation de l'entraîneur français, en juin dernier. ANSA – CIRO FUSCO

Almost three months after the dismissal of Rudi Garcia from his position as coach of Naples, Aurelio De Laurentiis, president of the club, returned this Wednesday, February 7, to some juicy confidences concerning his relationship with the club. French coach. 

The president and owner of the club indeed returned to the passage of Frenchman Rudi Garcia at the head of his club, which only lasted a few months. Dismissed in mid-November 2023 after another defeat, Rudi Garcia increased his clashes with the president of the club over this short period. 

Since the end of the collaboration between the Frenchman and the Italian club, De Laurentiis has declared several confidences publicly on this affair.

Doubts from the presentation

At a press conference this Wednesday, February 7, he admitted having thought about thanking the French coach, shortly after his appointment.

"What should I have done when he told me he didn' ;#39;hadn't watched Napoli matches ? If I had sent him home, it would have been a revolution, you, the press, would have said 'You're crazy!, you decide everything'", said the cinema producer who took control of Napoli in 2004.

Benvenuto Mister @RudiGarcia 🤝

💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/v5m4q6r4o1

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) June 19, 2023

"I tried to give Garcia his chance and possibilities, by talking to him. When he listened to me, we won, like in Lecce 4-0", he continued.

"Gli dissi: che c**** stai combinando?" 💥

De Laurentiis e l'esonero di Garcia: "L'ho mandato a f******" 🤬 pic.twitter.com/3ZOLTnOSQb

— GOAL Italia (@GoalItalia) February 7, 2024

Under the leadership of Garcia, whose physical preparation De Laurentiis also criticized, Napoli lost three of their twelve league matches, all at home, and were 4th in the Series A.

Regret for a loss

The reigning Italian champion, now led by Walter Mazzarri, is currently 7th.

De Laurentiis who recruited Garcia in view of his past in European competitions ("where he did better than Spalletti") admitted to having made a mistake: letting go of Luciano Spalletti who wanted to take a step back and has since become Italy coach.

"I should not have accepted the provocation of Spalletti who no longer wanted to coach. I should have told him 'You signed a contract two years ago, you continue.' This was the mistake that started all the others, he concluded.