After a chaotic day of negotiations that saw the Stadio Olimpico withdrawn from eligibility, it is now official the Coppa Italia Final will be in Rome on May 20.
After a chaotic day of negotiations that saw the Stadio Olimpico withdrawn from eligibility, it is now official the Coppa Italia Final will be in Rome on May 20.
The Final has been assigned to the Olimpico for several years now and doubts emerged over the last week when Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis and the Lega Serie A suggested it was not big enough to host the Juventus-Napoli event.
The CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) reacted with anger and withdrew the venue from consideration, effectively evicting the Coppa Italia Final.
“For us, the matter is closed,” CONI President Gianni Petrucci told news agency ANSA.
However, this afternoon there was a complete U-Turn in the situation revealed by Lega Serie A President Maurizio Beretta.
“I spoke to Petrucci a few minutes ago. Now we agree that the Coppa Italia Final will be played in Rome.”
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli gave his view with a statement on the club website.
“The Coppa Italia has for years been considered the cup of the President of the Republic, so it’s only natural it should be hosted by Rome.
“Just three years ago the Stadio Olimpico hosted the Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United, so I don’t see why it shouldn’t be able to handle Juventus-Napoli.”