The Luciano Spalletti Dilemma: Will Italy’s National Coach Have to Pay SSC Napoli?

Luciano Spalletti becomes Italy’s new national coach. But the master coach at SSC Napoli actually took a break. How is the club reacting?

After the agreement between Spalletti and the football association, the Italian media even saw a legal dispute brewing. This could end up in court.

The background is that Spalletti had announced after Napoli’s championship title in Serie A that he was leaving the club. He wanted to take a break – despite a contract until 2024. Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis agreed to a sabbatical.

For his part, Spalletti stated that he would not look after any other team in the next season. The exact details of the agreement are not known. However, Italian media reports that a penalty payment should be due for a new coaching job this season. According to the reports, worth several million euros.

Aurelio De Laurentiis, President of SSC Napoli, wrote a few days ago in a statement distributed by Italian media: “When I gave him (Spalletti) the opportunity not to fulfill his contract, I asked for guarantees that this sabbatical would be observed. Including a penalty if he fails to fulfill his obligation.”

The daily newspaper “La Stampa” wrote on Saturday that the fine was reduced by 250,000 euros every month. With Spalletti’s agreed start on September 1st, half a million euros less would be due.

The focus is now on the question of whether the clause also applies in the case of a commitment as a national coach. In the end, it should depend on whether the penalty has to be paid in the end – by Spalletti or by the football association.

The latter focused on the good news when the agreement was announced. “The national team needed a great coach.” And he was happy that Spalletti had agreed, said association president Gabriele Gravina according to the announcement.