Napoli’s manager, Luciano Spalletti, made a bold statement after his team’s 1-0 loss to AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final match.
Spalletti expressed his disappointment with the missed opportunities and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s dismissal at San Siro.
However, he also emphasized the importance of fan support for the upcoming return leg and stated that he would “leave the bench and go home” if the fans fail to rally behind the team.
Spalletti hopes that the supporters will put aside any grievances with the club and create a lively atmosphere for the crucial match.
During a recent interview, Spalletti expressed uncertainty about the atmosphere for an upcoming match and voiced his disappointment with the state of the stadium during their recent 4-0 loss to Milan.
He said, “I’m not sure what atmosphere to expect next week, I was sorry to see our stadium like that against Milan.
We’re winning the championship after 33 years, we were playing an important game and to see that ‘everyone against everyone’ is something that I’ll never understand and that I’ll always carry with me.”
He went on to discuss the underlying tension between a section of Napoli’s fans and their president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, saying, “The boys are sensitive to what happens around them and against Milan at the Maradona we played in an absurd atmosphere. We were taken hostage”.
Despite Napoli’s stunning season, there has been an underlying current of discontent between a section of their fans and president Aurelio De Laurentiis which culminated in a protest about ticket prices in their most recent home game against Milan.”
The protest during the previous match created a strange atmosphere where fans protested in silence and turned their backs to the field, and Spalletti expressed his shock at this behavior.
He said, “If the same thing happens in the return match, I’ll leave the bench and go home. Because it’s an inexplicable thing.”