Napoli tragedy behind Conte decision to abandon press conference | OneFootball

Antonio Conte did not attend the press conference following Napoli’s victory over Fiorentina due to a tragic loss, but assistant Cristian Stellini assured 44 points in 19 rounds was ‘not imaginable’ this season.

The pressure was on the Partenopei to take advantage of the fixture list, as Inter and Atalanta are in Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana.

There were added problems too with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Matteo Politano and Alessandro Buongiorno out of action, but Leonardo Spinazzola impressed as a makeshift attacker, while David Neres opened the scoring.

Romelu Lukaku also converted a penalty before Scott McTominay completed the 3-0 rout at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

“It is an important sign that shows our lads are working hard and we are extremely proud of what they are doing. We achieved 44 points in 19 rounds, that was not imaginable at the start of the season, so we can only congratulate the players and hope we continue like this,” Stellini told DAZN.

Why Conte did not attend Napoli press conference

epa11806103 Napoli’s midfielder Scott McTominay celebrates after scoring a goal during the Italian serie A soccer match ACF Fiorentina vs SSC Napoli at Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Italy, 4 January 2025. EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI

Conte did not attend the media duties and Stellini explained why the coach preferred to sit this interview out.

“We are very happy with the victory, but at the same time we suffered a great loss today. A child who was close to us all had been ill, and we got news this afternoon he had died. We tried to give him moments of joy and in return he gave us so much strength.

“The coach did not feel ready to come to the press conference, but we want to send a message of strength to all those families out there dealing with these devastating illnesses. Goodbye, Daniele.”

Daniele is also the name that Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa had written on his wrist when celebrating recent goals.

Napoli are now on 44 points from 19 Serie A rounds, having scored 30 goals and conceded 12, with 14 victories, two draws and three defeats.

They also kept 11 clean sheets and have the best defensive record in the league.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Fiorentina 0-3 Napoli