Out of Play
Liverpool’s Champions League tie with Napoli could take place over 160 miles away from Stadio San Paolo
Liverpool supporters could be forced to travel a further 160 miles for their Champions League tie with Napoli in October.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has requested UEFA’s permission to play their European games on the east coast of Italy following an on-going row that seats in their own stadium, the Stadio San Paolo, do not meet UEFA standards.
This could mean that Jurgen Klopp’s side and their fans may have to travel even further for the game to Bari despite having already paid for hotels and flights to Naples for the game.
- Liverpool’s Champions League tie with Napoli could be moved 160 miles away to Bari
- Napoli’s stadium, Stadio San Paolo, currently doesn’t meet certain UEFA standards
The row arose after Napoli’s 60,000-seater stadium, which is owned by the local council, was given exemption to continue playing their home games in Naples for a number of years.
The seats were set to be replaced this summer but this did not take place which ,meant Napoli were threatened without another exemption.
De Laurentiis has suggested moving the club’s European home games to Bari’s 58,000-seater stadium if Napoli had their license revoked.
- Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has requested permission to have game played in Bari
- Seats in the Stadio San Paolo do not meet UEFA standards and Napoli have to play away
He told Corrierre dello Sport: ‘For me, it’s a nightmare. Such a bad stadium limits the status of Napoli at an international level.
‘It’s a shame. For this reason, I say enough: I don’t want any more controversy, so I’ll build my own stadium.
‘And that’s that. We can’t go on like this anymore. Nobody can tell you to do anything if you put in your own money and have the land to build a stadium.
‘In the meantime, I’ve asked UEFA to authorise us to play Champions League matches at Bari.
‘I’ll pay for 1,000 buses out of my own pocket so Napoli fans can attend the match.’
- De Laurentiis suggests moving the club’s European games to Bari’s 58,000-seater stadium
- It may mean fans and Jurgen Klopp’s side have to travel to the other side of Italy for the game
Napoli originally chose Palermo’s stadium as their preferred destination for European matches but De Laurentiis has since purchased Bari following their fall from Serie B to Serie D due to financial reasons.
De Laurentiis’ son, Luigi De Laurentiis Jnr, is the club’s current chairman.
‘One thing is for certain – Bari will not be an appendix of Napoli, but they will be run as a separate entity, with separate efforts,’ De Laurentiis said last month.
‘We cannot mix Napoli and Bari, which are two separate cities, each with their own history and their own fans, who must be respected.’