Garcia: ‘I love everything about Napoli, except De Laurentiis’ in 2023 tenure

Former Napoli coach Rudi Garcia goes back over his tense rapport with President Aurelio De Laurentiis and ill-fated experience. ‘The results show I was right and the President made mistakes.’

The ex-Roma tactician was picked as something of a surprise to take over the team after Luciano Spalletti won the Scudetto and walked away in the summer of 2023.

He lasted only 16 competitive games for the Partenopei, overseeing eight victories, four draws and four defeats, until he was sacked by De Laurentiis in November 2023.

Garcia hits out at De Laurentiis mistakes

Having been appointed as the new coach of the Belgium national team last month, Garcia sat down for a lengthy interview with French paper L’Equipe and did not hold back when asked if he was kept ‘prisoner’ by De Laurentiis.

“Perhaps a bit… I was still under contract, I had a privacy clause and my image rights also still belonged to the club. You see, in Italy they can fire you, but you still remain tied to the club and we did not have any financial agreement to terminate, so the contract remained until the summer of 2024.”

Garcia felt he was unfairly treated at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, especially considering how badly the situation deteriorated following his departure.

“I was fourth in Serie A and at the end of the season the team finished 10^th, having gone through another two coaches. We were also practically qualified for the Champions League Round of 16.

“I am not saying I did everything correctly, but the results show I was right and that the President made mistakes.”

It is beyond doubt that the rapport between Garcia and De Laurentiis ended on a very bitter note.

“I loved everything about Napoli: the city, the stadium, the fans, the team. Everything except the interference of the President.”