Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis cancelled Max Allegri’s press conference 10 minutes before it was due to begin. Napoli were preparing for a Sunday Serie A match with leaders Lazio.
Training retreat
Napoli’s squad entered a training retreat from Friday ahead of the Sunday Serie A showdown. The retreat followed recent defeats to Juventus and FC Porto.
Press-room preparations
Allegri was ready to speak in the press room, with journalists assembled and equipment set up, when the event was cancelled.
De Laurentiis’ explanation
“There is no controversy at Napoli. When I realised that we were about to hold yet another press conference, I preferred to block it. Why? Because I don’t think press conferences are necessary before every game, considering we play every three days. We are in a training retreat, and we must avoid any kind of distraction to take away the players’ concentration on the match. When we go into a retreat, there must be total protection.” Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli president, said.
Results and managerial change
Napoli have five wins, two draws and seven defeats, scoring 23 goals and conceding 24. They lost four-one in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. De Laurentiis chose Allegri to replace Antonio Conte over the summer, while Allegri had been sacked by Milan for missing out on the top four.
