President Aurelio De Laurentiis suggests a Napoli-Juventus Coppa Italia Final is too big for Rome. “We could play in Paris or London.”
President Aurelio De Laurentiis suggests a Napoli-Juventus Coppa Italia Final is too big for Rome. “We could play in Paris or London.”
The two giants have not won silverware for many years, but go head-to-head for the Coppa on May 20 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
“The whole world will be flocking to Rome. Going into a big stadium is exciting, but we’ll have to see if the Olimpico has the right characteristics to host us,” said Napoli patron De Laurentiis on Radio Marte.
“From what I can tell, there aren’t that many seats available for a game that is already starting to hit headlines despite the fact we’re in March.”
The Italian Super Cup is played in Beijing, so it is possible the Coppa Italia Final could also be hosted outside of the peninsula. The Stadio Olimpico has a capacity of 72,481.
“Right now they say it’ll be played in Rome, but it could be Milan, Paris or London. Juventus President Andrea Agnelli and I will have our say on the venue for the Final, discuss it on Monday and set ticket prices.
“We do not want to cut anyone out, but rather impose the organisation so we can avoid ticket touts. I urge the Napoli fans to continue with the process of signing up for the fan passport. I was against it, but in truth it comes from a sense of belonging and could be indispensible to be there for that match.
“I know there are around 150,000 fans registered between the two clubs and this could represent a problem. An important match always creates problems and it even happened for Milan-Barcelona in a bigger venue. Clearly, that is not enough.
“In any case, the Final must be a great festival of football, a day based on sport and friendship.”