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Napoli President Responds To Antonio Conte's Links with Italian National Team Job
| USA | sports | ✓ Verified - foxsports.com

Napoli President Responds To Antonio Conte's Links with Italian National Team Job

#Aurelio De Laurentiis #Antonio Conte #Italy national team #FIGC #Napoli #Serie A #Giovanni Malago #governance

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis would permit coach Antonio Conte to take the Italy national team job if asked.
  • De Laurentiis made the statement in Los Angeles while criticizing the Italian football federation as "disorganized."
  • He endorsed Giovanni Malago as the ideal candidate to lead a reformed Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
  • Antonio Conte remains focused on leading Napoli's Serie A title challenge, with the club currently in second place.

📖 Full Retelling

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has surprisingly stated in Los Angeles, during a media event for the club's documentary screening, that he would be willing to allow his head coach Antonio Conte to take charge of the Italian national team if the opportunity arose and Conte requested it. This declaration comes amidst a period of significant transition for Italian football following the resignation of federation president Gabriele Gravina, and De Laurentiis framed his openness as a gesture of support for the national cause, albeit with major reservations about its current state. However, De Laurentiis paired this unexpected admission with a scathing critique of the governance of Italian football. He expressed serious doubts that a coach of Conte's caliber would even want to lead what he described as a "completely disorganized" setup under the current Italian Football Federation (FIGC). The Napoli owner emphasized that until a "serious partner" is in place to reform the federation's structure, such a move might be unappealing. This criticism directly ties into his strong public endorsement of Giovanni Malago, the former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), whom De Laurentiis believes would be the perfect candidate to first serve as a commissioner and then lead a renewed federation. The immediate future, however, remains focused on Napoli's domestic campaign. Antonio Conte is the central figure in Napoli's sporting project, tasked with returning the club to the summit of Serie A. Currently sitting second in the league table, seven points behind the leaders, Conte's primary objective is to guide the Partenopei through the remainder of the season in a sustained title challenge. While speculation about a sensational return to the Azzurri bench for Conte—who previously managed Italy from 2014 to 2016—will persist, De Laurentiis's comments have framed it as a hypothetical scenario contingent on a fundamental restructuring of Italian football's leadership.

🏷️ Themes

Football Management, National Team, Governance Critique

📚 Related People & Topics

Italy team

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Italy team or Team Italy may refer to:

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Italian Football Federation

Italian Football Federation

Governing body of association football in Italy

The Italian Football Federation (Italian: Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, pronounced [federatˈtsjoːne itaˈljaːna ˈdʒwɔːko ˈkaltʃo]; FIGC [fiddʒitˈtʃi]), known colloquially as Federcalcio (pronounced [ˌfederˈkaltʃo]), is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technic...

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Aurelio De Laurentiis

Aurelio De Laurentiis

Italian film producer and businessman

Aurelio De Laurentiis (born 24 May 1949) is an Italian film producer. He owns the film production company Filmauro and the Italian football club Napoli (of which he is also chairman).

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Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte

Italian football manager (born 1969)

Antonio Conte (Italian pronunciation: [anˈtɔːnjo ˈkonde]; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Serie A club Napoli. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Playing as a midfielder, Conte ...

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Naples

Regional capital city of Campania, Italy

Naples is the regional capital of Campania, Italy. With a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits (as of 2025), it is the largest city in southern Italy and the third-largest city of Italy after Rome and Milan, while its province-level municipality is the third most populous me...

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Italy team:

👤 Gianluigi Buffon 1 shared
🏢 Italian Football Federation 1 shared
👤 Gennaro Gattuso 1 shared
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Mentioned Entities

Italy team

Topics referred to by the same term

 Italian Football Federation

Italian Football Federation

Governing body of association football in Italy

 Aurelio De Laurentiis

Aurelio De Laurentiis

Italian film producer and businessman

 Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte

Italian football manager (born 1969)

 Naples

Naples

Regional capital city of Campania, Italy

Deep Analysis

Why It Matters

This news is significant because Antonio Conte is a high-profile manager, and his potential departure would impact Napoli's title aspirations and the future of the Italian national team. It highlights the ongoing governance crisis and instability within the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which affects the broader health of Italian football. De Laurentiis's public comments also signal potential political maneuvering regarding the leadership of the federation, specifically pushing for Giovanni Malago. Fans and stakeholders will be watching closely to see if this distraction affects Napoli's performance on the pitch.

Context & Background

  • Antonio Conte previously managed the Italian national team from 2014 to 2016, leading them to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016.
  • Aurelio De Laurentiis is known for being an outspoken and often controversial figure in Italian football administration.
  • The article notes that Italian football is currently in a transition period following the resignation of federation president Gabriele Gravina.
  • Giovanni Malago is a veteran sports administrator who served as the president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) for over a decade.
  • Napoli won the Serie A title in the 2022-2023 season but are currently chasing the league leaders in a tight title race.
  • The Italian national team has faced recent struggles, failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

What Happens Next

Antonio Conte will likely continue to focus on Napoli's Serie A campaign for the remainder of the season as they attempt to close the gap to the top of the table. Speculation regarding the national team job will persist, particularly if the FIGC undergoes leadership changes or appoints a commissioner as De Laurentiis suggested. De Laurentiis may continue to publicly advocate for Giovanni Malago to take over the federation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Antonio Conte ask to leave Napoli to coach Italy?

No, Conte has not asked to leave. De Laurentiis stated hypothetically that he would grant permission if Conte were to request it.

Why is De Laurentiis critical of the Italian national team setup?

He described the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) as 'completely disorganized' and believes it lacks the serious structure required to attract a top coach like Conte.

Who does De Laurentiis support to lead the Italian Football Federation?

He strongly endorsed Giovanni Malago, the former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), to serve as a commissioner and eventually lead the federation.

What is Napoli's current position in the league?

Napoli is currently sitting in second place in the Serie A table, trailing the leaders by seven points.

Status: Partially Verified
Confidence: 70%
Source: Fox Sports, citing quotes from Gianluca Di Marzio

Source Scoring

72 Overall
Decision
Normal
Low Norm High Push

Detailed Metrics

Reliability 75/100
Importance 65/100
Corroboration 70/100
Scope Clarity 80/100
Volatility Risk (Low is better) 40/100

Key Claims Verified

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said he would 'lend' coach Antonio Conte to the Italy national team if Conte asked. Confirmed

Direct quote attributed to De Laurentiis via reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, widely reported by multiple sports media outlets.

De Laurentiis criticized the current state of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), calling it 'completely disorganized'. Confirmed

Sentiment and specific phrasing ('completely disorganized') are consistent across reports from Di Marzio and other outlets covering the event.

De Laurentiis supports former CONI president Giovanni Malago to lead a new FIGC. Confirmed

His endorsement of Malago is reported by multiple sources, including Sky Sport Italia and ANSA.

The context is the recent resignation of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. Confirmed

Gravina's resignation is a widely reported factual event in Italian sports news.

Napoli currently sits second in Serie A, seven points behind the leaders. Confirmed

League table position is an easily verifiable, objective fact from primary data sources (Serie A).

Supporting Evidence

  • High Gianluca Di Marzio [Link]
  • High Sky Sport Italia [Link]
  • High ANSA (Italian news agency) [Link]
  • Primary Official Serie A Table [Link]

Caveats / Notes

  • The primary source is a media report of statements made at an event; no official club statement or transcript was cited.
  • The 'loan' concept for a manager is an unusual and informal declaration, making future implementation uncertain.
  • The story is driven by speculative links between Conte and the Italy job; no formal offer or negotiation is confirmed.
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Original Source
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has surprisingly stated he would allow Antonio Conte to take charge of the Italy national team if requested. However, the Napoli owner paired that admission with a scathing critique of the current state of Italian football governance. De Laurentiis willing to share head coach De Laurentiis addressed the media during the screening of Napoli's 'AG4IN' documentary in Los Angeles, where he was questioned about the possibility of Conte transitioning into a role with the Azzurri. While Conte is the centerpiece of Napoli’s current sporting project, De Laurentiis suggested he would not be the one to block such a move. 'I'll lend him' De Laurentiis has signaled that while he values Conte's leadership in Naples, he acknowledges the unique pull of the national team. He said, as quoted by Gianluca DiMarzio: "Conte to the national team? Yes, I think I'd lend him if he asked me." The club's president, however, expressed some major doubts about the current setup of the Italian football federation (FIGC): "Until there's a serious partner, I think he'd refrain from imagining himself leading something completely disorganized." Support for Malago The conversation regarding the national team comes at a time of transition for Italian football following the resignation of Gabriele Gravina. De Laurentiis has wasted no time in identifying the man he believes should lead the federation into a new era, throwing his significant weight behind former CONI president Giovanni Malago. "He would be perfect to be first the commissioner and then the president of a new federation," De Laurentiis explained. What comes next? Rumors of Conte taking over the Italian national team for a second time are likely to remain a topic of debate for some time to come. However, what is clear is that he will continue his efforts to keep Napoli competing for the Serie A title until the end of the season. The Partenopei currently sit second in Serie A, seven points behind leaders
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