VIDEO: Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis Ends Interview By Pushing Cameraman

Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, is likely to be sanctioned for pushing the cameraman after concluding a live interview with Matteo Politano.

The live interview between Napoli forward Matteo Politano and Italian television channel Sky Sport was abruptly cut short by De Laurentiis just before his team’s Champions League match in Barcelona. The president of Napoli hurried onto the pitch and exclaimed, “Politano! Politano! With you [Sky], he’s not allowed to talk.” De Laurentiis then led a rather bemused-looking Politano away, before turning back and insulting the cameraman and giving him a push.

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Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis aggressively deals with a camera operator from Sky Italia 😳 pic.twitter.com/3dUT4oJIlw

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) March 11, 2024

The acts of Napoli president coincide with a dispute between the Italian media and the president of Napoli. According to ESPN, the club president has halted pre-match press conferences, prohibited the players from speaking with DAZN, and restricted player interviews to media who either work for or support Napoli.

Sky Sport’s Federico Ferri hit out at De Laurentiis after the incident in a post on X: “I’m speechless at what happened to our journalist and our cameraman: I condemn it without other comments. One thing is certain: we’ll go ahead as always, with professionalism, accuracy, credibility. And courtesy.”

Reuters said that De Laurentiis is anticipated to pay a “hefty fine” to UEFA as a result of his actions. Tuesday is the second leg of the Italian champions’ last 16 Champions League matchup against Barcelona.