Napoli chief De Laurentiis: ‘Here is why I cancelled Allegri press conference’

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis confirms the report he cancelled Max Allegri’s press conference 10 minutes before it was due to begin, but insists ‘there’s no controversy.’

The squad was put into a training retreat from Friday to prepare for Sunday’s Serie A showdown with current leaders Lazio.

This was a response to the recent defeats to Juventus and FC Porto, capitulating 4-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

Allegri was all ready to speak in the press room this afternoon, with the journalists assembled and equipment set up when it was suddenly announced the whole event was cancelled.

“There is no controversy at Napoli,” wrote President De Laurentiis on his social media channels after reports he was the one who made the call to cancel.

“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.”

Inevitably, this will further fuel reports that De Laurentiis is losing confidence in Allegri, the coach he chose to replace Antonio Conte over the summer even after the tactician was sacked by Milan for missing out on the top four.

Napoli have struggled badly this season, emerging with five wins, two draws and seven defeats, scoring 23 goals and conceding 24.