Following Italy’s surprising loss to Bosnia in the FIFA World Cup playoff final, questions are once again being raised about the structure of Italian football and its grassroots development. Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis has openly criticized the existing system and proposed his ideas for improvement.
De Laurentiis, known for his innovative views on restructuring calcio, stated that in Italian football, “everything has been dormant for years,” and nothing has changed because “if nothing changes, everyone just gets by.” He emphasized that he is not one to merely “get by” and finds himself in an “uncomfortable position” for others.
He called for an immediate rethinking and reboot of the entire system. “My ideas have been clear for ten years. It just makes me smile, because in Naples we have a beautiful expression: ‘a pazziell ‘mman e criatur’ (the toy in the hands of children). We need to reset everything and start again tomorrow morning.”
Amid doubts regarding the position of FIGC President Gabriele Gravina, Giovanni Malagò has been mentioned as a possible replacement. De Laurentiis endorsed Malagò, stating: “If Malagò took an interest in it, we would be strong again within two years. Someone like Malagò is used to always doing his best; he’s a great professional and has proven it in the world of sport.”
Furthermore, De Laurentiis proposed reducing Serie A to 16 teams. In his view, this would allow for two months of proper training for the national team. He also insisted that clubs should be reimbursed a significant portion of their investment in players and receive full insurance for their value in case of injury while on national team duty. “We can’t play with other people’s money,” he concluded.
