Napoli have officially confirmed the departure of manager Antonio Conte following a tense end-of-season press conference in which the Italian coach and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis publicly disagreed over the club’s campaign.
The Serie A side announced Conte’s exit on Monday with a brief message on social media: “Thanks for everything, coach.”
The announcement came less than 24 hours after Napoli ended their season with a 1-0 win over Udinese, securing second place behind Serie A champions Inter Milan.
Conte revealed after the match that he would step down, before an awkward exchange unfolded alongside De Laurentiis during the press conference.
The Napoli president suggested the club could have retained the Serie A title if injuries had not disrupted the squad throughout the season.
Key players including Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo all spent significant periods sidelined during the second half of the campaign.
“Without the injuries, we would have been the champions,” De Laurentiis claimed.
Conte quickly rejected the idea and insisted Inter deserved full credit for winning the league title.
“That probably would not have happened,” Conte responded.
“Inter’s merits need to be recognised. I’m sorry, but I don’t like clinging to these things. We have to acknowledge others’ victories and show respect. If we want respect, we have to give it. Inter deserved to win the league, with injuries or not.”
Both Conte and De Laurentiis confirmed that the decision to part ways had already been made months earlier in the season.
Despite speculation over Napoli’s next manager, De Laurentiis refused to discuss potential replacements but hinted the returning injured players could thrive under a different coaching approach next season.
Conte leaves Napoli after guiding the club to a second-place finish in a turbulent campaign marked by injuries, pressure and growing tension behind the scenes.
