Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has backed Rafa Benitez, despite the club crashing out of the Champions League.
The Partenopei were beaten 4-2 on aggregate by Athletic Bilbao in the play-off rounds last week, which saw the club lose up to €35m.
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has backed Rafa Benitez, despite the club crashing out of the Champions League.
The Partenopei were beaten 4-2 on aggregate by Athletic Bilbao in the play-off rounds last week, which saw the club lose up to €35m.
But the owner has given his Coach a vote of confidence, insisting he ‘trusts’ the Spaniard.
“If I had to listen to everyone’s opinion I’d go deaf,” he told Radio Kiss Kiss.
“I only listen to Rafa. You cannot guarantee success for many reasons, but I trust Rafa.
“We have to respect the economic parameters that are put on us by UEFA. The exit from the Champions League has lost us €35m. And Athletic were a force of nature.
“They played the game of their lives. But I guarantee that we will be strong.
“We have a lot of players that went to the World Cup and are not even fit yet. Look at Higain – he shouldn’t have played in the play-off, but he did because he’s such a good professional.
“We can’t throw away all our hard work because of one defeat. We need the confidence of the fans. Players and Coaches come and go, but the fans remain.”