Antonio Conte has officially left Napoli by mutual consent following the end of the 2025-2026 season, despite having a contract until 2027.
This was confirmed on Monday with a brief four-word statement, less than 24 hours after he announced his exit during a media conference where he and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis exchanged words.
Napoli Ended Season On A High
Recall that Napoli ended their season with a 1-0 home victory over Udinese on Sunday, which secured a second-place finish behind Serie A champions Inter Milan.
“Without the injuries, we would have been the champions,” De Laurentiis said.
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The remarks drew an immediate response from Conte, sitting alongside the president, who urged greater respect for Inter’s achievements.
“That probably would not have happened,” Conte said. “Inter’s merits need to be recognised. I’m sorry, but I don’t like clinging to these things. We have to acknowledge others’ victories and show respect. If we want respect, we have to give it. Inter deserved to win the league, with injuries or not.”
Toxic Atmosphere In Napoli
Sitting alongside club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, Conte said the toxic atmosphere around the club had forced him to question his position.
“In Naples I failed in one thing – I was unable to unite you,” Conte said. “I have seen so much poison, so many weeds: those who spread poison are failures.
“Napoli do not need this, these people should move away from Naples, which needs serious people.
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“I failed from this point of view, and I realised that I would never be able to control the environment.
“The moment you can’t do that, which for me is a fundamental thing to fight against the superpowers like Milan or Inter, I realised that I couldn’t change things, and I said that I was taking a step back.
“I thank De Laurentiis because he gave me this opportunity. The Neapolitan fans understood me, this is the most important thing.”
