Walter Mazzarri has been appointed
Napoli coach to replace Rudi Garcia, the club said on Tuesday.
"Welcome back Walter," wrote Napoli Chairman Aurelio De
Laurentiis on X, formerly Twitter, hailing the return to the
Serie A titleholders of the former midfielder as technical
commissioner after ten years.
"Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli has decided to revoke the
appointment of Mr Rudi Garcia as head coach of the first team.
We would like to thank him and his staff for their collaboration
to date," read a statement published on the club's website.
On Monday media reported that former Napoli coach Garcia was set
for the team's poor form continued on Sunday with a 1-0 home
defeat to 17th-placed
Empoli, which leaves them 10 points behind leaders Inter in
fourth place.
De Laurentiis on Monday travelled from Naples to Rome to work at
his Filmauro offices on two fronts - closing an agreement for
Frenchman Garcia's dismissal and finding a replacement,
according to the sources.
Garcia, who replaced Luciano Spalletti at the end of last
season, had a two-year contract but the agreement featured a
clause making it possible for him to be fired with the payment
of just one annual salary of about 2.8 million euros, the
sources said.
Mazzarri coached Napoli from 2009 until 2013, before moving to
the benches of Inter, Watford, Torino and Cagliari.
He has a contract for seven months, until June.
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