Antonio Conte departure from Napoli confirmed with four-word statement

Napoli officially confirmed Antonio Conte’s departure on Monday with a terse four‑word message, “Thanks for everything, coach”, less than a day after the manager publicly announced his exit. The confirmation followed a tense press conference in which Conte and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis exchanged pointed remarks. Napoli had closed their season with a 1‑0 win over Udinese, securing second place behind champions Inter Milan, before Conte revealed he was stepping down.

De Laurentiis argued paradoxally that Napoli would have defended their title had the squad not been ravaged by injuries to key players such as Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Conte immediately rejected that claim, insisting Inter’s superiority deserved full recognition and warning against using injuries as excuses. Both men later admitted the decision to part ways had been made months earlier. De Laurentiis declined to discuss successors, suggesting returning players could thrive under new leadership.