Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is concerned about the state of training pitches in Saudi Arabia and warns Napoli won’t even go to Riyadh if turfs ‘are not up to par.’
The Partenopei President is not a fan of the Supercoppa Italia played in Saudi Arabia and had already expressed his concerns in October.
There have been several issues regarding the dates and times of games, but Lega Serie A President Lorenzo Casini confirmed on Monday that the Supercoppa, which will involve four clubs for the first time ever, will be played in Riyadh from January 18, 2024, to January 22, 2024.
According to Tuesday’s printed edition of Il Corriere della Sera, Napoli President De Laurentiis is still not convinced about playing the competition in Saudi Arabia, so he sent a warning during a Lega Serie A meeting on Monday: “If the training pitches are not up to par, I won’t send Napoli [to Saudi Arabia],” he said.
According to the report, Napoli representatives will fly to Riyadh over the next few days to check on the state of training pitches.
Coppa Italia winners Inter, Serie A runners-up Lazio and Coppa Italia finalists Fiorentina are also involved in the 2023-24 Supercoppa Italiana. The semifinals and the Final will all be played at the Al-Awwal Park, home to Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo Brozovic’s Al-Nassr FC.