Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis Claims Teams Finishing Last in Serie A Should Be Fined

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis believes that promotion and relegation should be abolished, with teams who finish bottom of the league being fined instead.

De Laurentiis claimed that teams like Frosinone, who are bottom of Serie A and on course for a fourth promotion or relegation in the last five seasons, add nothing to the league and should be fined for their failure.

Indeed, De Laurentiis proposed a restructuring of Serie A which would see teams divided geographically so that they can be self-sufficient. Frosinone, sandwiched between Rome and Naples, struggles to attract new supporters.

"You finish first, you get €100m, for example," the Napoli owner told the New York Times. "You finish second, you earn €50m, and so on. But if you finish last, you pay a fine.

"Frosinone [arrived in Serie A] already relegated. Clubs like Frosinone do not draw fans, or interest, or broadcasters to the League.

"The problem is the small teams have the same rights as the big one. Why should Frosinone have a season in Serie A, be given a slice of the pagnotta and then be relegated back to the third division?

"If they cannot compete, if they finish last, they should have to pay a fine. They shouldn’t be given money for failing.

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"Promotion and relegation is the biggest idiocy in soccer. Especially when you also have UEFA trying to force clubs to comply with Financial Fair Play rules. Clubs should be structured geographically, so they can all be self-sufficient. If they cannot survive financially, if they cannot be self-sufficient, they should be booted out."

Frosinone owner Maurizio Stirpe launched a stinging response to De Laurentiis' criticism, describing him as a 'peasant' who has won 'practically nothing in recent years'.