Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed he won’t fine Manolo Gabbiadini or salute Gonzalo Higuain at the Juventus Stadium.
The bitter rivalry is renewed on Saturday evening in Serie A, the first time Pipita has faced his former teammates since the €90m transfer.
“How will I salute Higuain? I cannot go to Turin out of solidarity with the fans who were not allowed to make the trip,” De Laurentiis told reporters at a sponsorship event.
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed he won’t fine Manolo Gabbiadini or salute Gonzalo Higuain at the Juventus Stadium.
The bitter rivalry is renewed on Saturday evening in Serie A, the first time Pipita has faced his former teammates since the €90m transfer.
“How will I salute Higuain? I cannot go to Turin out of solidarity with the fans who were not allowed to make the trip,” De Laurentiis told reporters at a sponsorship event.
“Until people can combine the rapport between sport and supporters with intelligence, we’re going nowhere. Restrictions have never achieved anything positive, as it just postpones problems to another date – a very Italian approach.”
Napoli fans have been barred from attending the match due to security fears.
Meanwhile, Gabbiadini cannot take part as he’s sitting out a two-match ban for a reaction foul against Crotone.
“I have great faith in Gabbiadini, otherwise I would’ve already sold him over the summer, because we were offered some very important sums of money.
“Gabbiadini can count on the faith of the club and its Coach. We didn’t even fine him, because he has always been such a respectful person. Against Crotone the game was getting tetchy and you’d have to be in the situation to realise what it’s like.
“When a young player’s blood is boiling, a reaction can happen. This is why I didn’t want to punish his gesture, even if it deserved criticism and disdain.”
Last season Juventus and Napoli fought for the Scudetto, but who does De Laurentiis top for this term?
“We are still only at the beginning. I expected Roma to be this strong, as they always were, so in my view it’s about 10-12 teams who are really strong.”