Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has called for a complete overhaul of Italian football after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for a third consecutive time. Italy’s latest setback came on March 31, 2026, when they lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Zenica, extending a crisis that has now sparked widespread calls for reform.
Speaking to Radio CRC, De Laurentiis said Italian football must “reset everything” and start again from zero if it wants to recover. He pointed to CONI president Giovanni Malagò as the right figure to lead that process, praising him as a proven professional who could help Italian football climb back quickly. De Laurentiis argued that, under Malagò’s leadership, the game in Italy could become strong again within two years.
The Napoli chairman also renewed his criticism of the current structure of the domestic game. He said Serie A should be reduced to 16 teams in order to cut the number of matches, give the national team more time to work, and improve the overall quality of Italian football. He added that clubs should be compensated when their players are called up for international duty and should receive full insurance coverage in case those players are injured while away with the national side.
De Laurentiis said clubs can no longer be expected to carry all the financial burden while making their players available to the national team. In his view, the current system is unsustainable and requires clear structural reforms rather than minor adjustments. He also drew politics into the debate, saying decision makers should remember that football matters to millions of supporters and carries significant social and electoral weight in Italy.
His comments come at a moment of deep reflection across Italian football, with the country’s media and former players highlighting long term structural problems such as youth development, lack of trust in young Italian talent, and wider weaknesses in the national system.
