Napoli chairman says team's home stadium is a 'dump'

MILAN - Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis on Friday called their home ground "a dump," arguing that the club needs a modern stadium to boost revenue and improve the fan experience.

Napoli last season celebrated their second Serie A title in three years after a battle with Inter Milan.

They play their home games at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, named after the Argentine who led them to two league titles in 1987 and 1990, which belongs to the city municipality.

Speaking at an event hosted by Milan's Bocconi University, De Laurentiis contrasted Napoli's matchday earnings with those of the Milan clubs, saying AC Milan and Inter can generate 14 million euros ($16.33 million) from the European Champions League competition, while his team had much more limited perspectives.

"We can only get up to three million in that Maradona dump. That's quite a difference, isn't it?" he said, referring to the stadium as he spoke at the event.

Italy is struggling to improve its stadiums, pressed by foreign investors who have acquired a number of clubs, ahead of Euro 2032 that it will co-host with Turkey.

This week, AC Milan and Inter completed the acquisition of the San Siro stadium and surrounding land from the city authorities, in a further step towards demolishing the venue and building a new one.

Over the summer, De Laurentiis strengthened the squad with high-profile signings, including Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, but said such investments are hard to sustain without greater stadium revenue.

"I would like a stadium with 70,000 seats, 120 skyboxes and 8,000 parking spaces," De Laurentiis said.

He added that renovating the Maradona - encircled by an athletics track - would take six years, closing parts of the stands and further limiting income.

"We need 30 hectares to build a beautiful stadium," De Laurentiis said. REUTERS