De Laurentiis unveils plans: sports complex in Qualiano, new 70,000-capacity stadium in Naples East

Aurelio De Laurentiis has unveiled his plans for Napoli's future, both in terms of infrastructure and stadium. The Napoli president spoke at the Circolo della Stampa Estera in Rome, where he received a Career Sports Award, as reported by Il Mattino and Il Napolista.

Sports complex will be built in Qualiano

After months of research, De Laurentiis announced that Napoli's new sports complex will be built in Qualiano, in the province of Naples. It is an area of 17.5 hectares where 10 football pitches and 7,500 square meters for offices and changing rooms for the first team and all youth categories will be built.

The president explained that the choice came after a complicated process: a year ago he had identified a different plot of land, but the alleged ownership turned out to be only a rental contract with an option, which had meanwhile expired. De Laurentiis then tasked the National team's agronomist, who had come from Florence, with visiting 27 locations to verify the quality of the land. The main problem, he recounted, is that almost all the agricultural land identified is managed by tenant farmers with multi-year contracts, difficult to free up without disproportionately inflating costs.

70,000-capacity stadium in Naples East

On the stadium front, De Laurentiis revealed that he signed a letter of intent with Q8 a month ago, which identified a 38-hectare area in Naples East. Here the Napoli owner has designed a 70,000-capacity facility with 120 skyboxes, restaurants and an interactive museum created with his Los Angeles agent, which will allow fans to play virtually against legends like Maradona, Cavani and Higuain.

De Laurentiis cited Real Madrid's stadium as a model, with the pitch lowering to allow concerts without damaging the grass. An athletics track, however, is not part of the project.

The Maradona issue

The president reiterated his position on the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, which he would like to see demolished to make room for new housing for the city. He criticized the proposal for a 200-million-euro investment (150 from the Region and 50 from the City) for the facility's renovation, calling it insufficient: with that amount, he said, it would only give the stadium "a light touch."

De Laurentiis also complained about the management costs borne by the club, claiming that Napoli pays approximately two million euros per year for a facility it can only use on match days, having to return it clean afterward. The president assured that the new stadium will be entirely financed by him and that, once work begins, construction will take 24 months.