Betting case, De Laurentiis: I always ensure I sign players who protect me

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has offered his thoughts on the ongoing betting scandal from the training grounds of Castel Volturno.

“Betting operates both by orthodox and unorthodox means – there’s a hub in Hong Kong that generates more than 50 billion dollars per year. Three years ago, I spoke about an American book ‘Soccer Mafia’, a topic Raffaele Cantone later discussed in ‘Football Clan’ where betting was a focal point. However, the subject was not thoroughly explored, and now it is resurfacing, though the specific terms of the debate are not yet clear”, he was quoted as saying by SportMediaset.

De Laurentiis, known for his careful recruitment policy, stated, “I am not speaking about gambling addiction, or vices, or exorbitant sums of money swirling about, or immature people: as far as I am concerned, I have always been extremely cautious about signing players whose family backgrounds and geographic origins ensure a certain psychological tranquillity and guarantee. I greatly value the culture of propriety, and Napoli also puts ‘surveillance’ into action with athletes who I believe to be good individuals and who come from solid family structures.”

However, he conceded that managing sudden wealth can be a challenge for many: “Not everyone is equipped for it. If a person doesn’t have other interests, they can be blinded by other allurements. It’s not justifiable, but they can easily become prey to hallucinations or other distractions,” the President of Napoli concluded.