Aurelio De Laurentiis, the ever-outspoken president of Serie A champions Napoli, has provided his take on the decision of Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri to step down from his role.
The name of tactician Sarri has of course taken its place front and centre in the headlines in Italy over the course of the last 24 hours.
This comes after the Italian dropped nothing short of a bombshell on capital giants Lazio.
With just ten games of the Serie A season left to play, Sarri – as confirmed by a host of sources across Italy – informed Biancocelesti chief Claudio Lotito of his decision to depart with immediate effect.
Lazio were condemned to a disappointing defeat at the hands of Udinese on Monday, a result which, coupled with the club’s recent exit from the Champions League, evidently proved the final straw for Sarri at the Stadio Olimpico.
Speaking to the media ahead of his side’s showdown with Barcelona on Tuesday, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of Sarri’s resignation was put to aforementioned Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.
As much comes with the 65-year-old having enjoyed arguably the finest years of his storied managerial career whilst on the bench in Naples.
De Laurentiis, however, was nevertheless quick to criticise Sarri for his actions, going as far as to label them those of a ‘loser’:
“It surprised me a lot,” the Italian patron told Mediaset, as cited by Tuttomercatoweb. “As a professional, you must take on your share of the responsibility. If you accept a role, you must carry it out to the end, out of respect for the club, the players and the fans.”
“It’s easy to hand in your resignation. That is what a loser does. I do not know the motivation behind it, but Lotito does not seem aggressive. He is a man with qualities and there should have been a solution found for a team that can’t just be dumped near the end of the season.”
Conor Laird | GIFN
