Napoli President De Laurentiis: ‘I will build a new stadium in Bagnoli’

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis made a surprise announcement during a radio appearance in Italy on Thursday, claiming does not intend on refurbishing the Stadio Maradona, and that he instead intends on building a new ground in the area of Bagnoli.

“I won’t re-do the stadium in Fuorigrotta, but I will instead build a new stadium in Bagnoli,” the Partenopei President said during an interview with TGR Campania on Thursday afternoon.

The topic of Napoli’s stadium has been hotting up recently, with many feeling that the ground is in need of refurbishment.

Calcio e Finanza suggested that the works could have been done in the build-up to the EURO 2032 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Italy and Turkey, but De Laurentiis’ latest claims suggest that a brand new stadium could be on the cards instead.

The original building work on the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, previously known as the Stadio San Paolo, began in 1949 and was eventually completed in 1959. The stadium has been home to Napoli ever since.

There had been renovation works in both 1989 ahead of the 1990 World Cup, and in 2019, prior to the World University Games.

The Stadio Maradona currently ranks as the fourth-largest ground in Italy, behind the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro, the Stadio Olimpico and Bari’s Stadio San Nicola.