Napoli to be fined after stopping Politano interview

Napoli are set to be handed a large fine by UEFA after Aurelio De Laurentiis abruptly stopped Matteo Politano’s interview with Sky Sports Italia.

La Repubblica details how the Partenopei president unexpectedly appeared in front of Sky’s cameras to shut things down during an interview with Politano, who was discussing the team’s upcoming Champions League clash with Barcelona.

De Laurentiis was furious, accusing the Sky crew of not being able to speak to the player, incorrectly claiming that his players were authorised to speak only with journalist Gianluca Di Marzio and not his colleague Massimo Ugolini.

The Napoli president’s chaotic behaviour will have repercussions, as UEFA are now expected to hand the club a large fine in response, unhappy that the rules of the contract weren’t respected, wanting to protect the value of the TV rights.

De Laurentiis has grown increasingly chaotic in recent weeks, having recently protested against broadcaster DAZN following a clash in the build-up to Napoli’s clash with Juventus. His club were fined €100,000 for that incident by Lega Serie A.