A few days ago the president of Naples football Aurelio De Laurentiis, in reaction to possible offers from UK football clubs for Italian players, castigated his team with public comments regarding their contracts and the English lifestyle.
The Gazzetta dello Sport reports that De Laurentiis said: “Footballers must respect their contracts, if not I’ll get really pissed off.
They know that in England life is bad, the food is bad and the women don’t use the bidet!” The footballers in question seeking to end their contracts are Lavezzi, Hamsik, Gargano and Santacroce.
The comments included a typical tirade from someone who doesn’t feel he’s received the gratitude owed him.
Laurentiis said: “In my house you do as I tell you.
If someone isn’t happy in Naples, he can leave but at the end of the contract.
If they don’t respect their contracts, I’ll speak to my lawyers and send someone to confiscate their assets… We created the Hamsiks, the Lavezzi and the Gargano: two years ago they were no-one but know it seems that Naples is in Serie A.
And if they piss me off, there’s also the argument of publicity rights.
Contracts must be respected.
”De Laurentiis even made reference to his uncle, the famous international film producer, Dino De Laurentiis, who it appears “made it” in America with similar tactics.
And then he concluded with the intended ironic comment about women and bidets.
Intellectual stuff from the Naples football club president, who has expressed more a jealous guarding of his players than any deep insight into the English lifestyle.
Tellingly no comparisons were made between life in Naples and life in Britain…