- Title: SOCCER-ITALY-BENITEZ UPDATE Benitez to leave Napoli amid Real speculation
- Date: 28th May 2015
- Summary: NAPLES, ITALY (MAY 28, 2015) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** MEDIA IN NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM NAPOLI COACH RAFAEL BENITEZ ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF BENITEZ AND NAPOLI PRESIDENT AURELIO DE LAURENTIIS AT PODIUM, SHAKING HANDS AND POSING FOR PHOTOS BENITEZ SITTING DOWN NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NAPOLI COACH RAFAEL BENITEZ SAYING: "My cycle is finishing and I want to end it well. We can win the next match and leave Napoli at a level we know the team can reach and I am confident this is how it will be. This news conference was called somewhat to say goodbye, even if I want to say goodbye on Sunday with a victory and with the squad that has qualified for the Champions League. Thank you." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NAPOLI COACH RAFAEL BENITEZ SAYING: "The first reason, as I said to Aurelio, is that I've spent two years far away from my family and that is the factor that has always made me think about the future. I spoke with my wife a few weeks ago trying to see if there was a way we could continue this way, I tried to convince her and we had a long talk, in the end, family is always very important and this is what we told Aurelio, although he knew it already, we'd already spoken about it and he'd seen that it's not been easy. "He knows my family and he knew it was not easy and therefore he needed to look ahead and I needed to do everything in my power to end things well, doing as I did also with Chelsea, to try to keep winning all the way till the end but it was clear that the cycle was over and I needed to also start looking for something new for the future." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NAPOLI COACH RAFAEL BENITEZ SAYING: "I want to stay focused on Napoli, I want to end things here in the best way possible and I will have time to talk afterwards. I understand that the Spanish press is putting on some pressure and accept it but you too must accept that my main interest is to do a good job with my team and I will have lots of time to think about my future after and to give my best wherever it is. I will end up working but for now, I repeat, I ask you to please let me concentrate on Napoli and we'll talk about the future at a later date." NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING BENITEZ SHAKING HANDS WITH JOURNALISTS
- Embargoed: 12th June 2015 13:00
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- Story Text: Napoli coach Rafa Benitez announced on Thursday (May 28) that he is leaving after two years with the Serie A club amid widespread expectation he is poised to replace the sacked Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
Spaniard Benitez, 55, who had a stint in Real's youth set-up in the 1990s, made the announcement at a news conference on Thursday (May 28) with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
"My cycle is finishing and I want to end it well. We can win the next match and leave Napoli at a level we know the team can reach and I am confident this is how it will be. This news conference was called somewhat to say goodbye, even if I want to say goodbye on Sunday with a victory and with the squad that has qualified for the Champions League. Thank you," he said.
As the club had made clear on Wednesday (May 27), Benitez declined to answer questions about his future, saying he had taken the decision to leave after Sunday's final Serie A match of the campaign at home to Lazio "for family reasons".
"The first reason, as I said to Aurelio, is that I've spent two years far away from my family and that is the factor that has always made me think about the future. I spoke with my wife a few weeks ago trying to see if there was a way we could continue this way, I tried to convince her and we had a long talk, in the end, family is always very important and this is what we told Aurelio, although he knew it already, we'd already spoken about it and he'd seen that it's not been easy," Benitez said.
"He knows my family and he knew it was not easy and therefore he needed to look ahead and I needed to do everything in my power to end things well, doing as I did also with Chelsea, to try to keep winning all the way till the end but it was clear that the cycle was over and I needed to also start looking for something new for the future."
Spanish media have made the former Liverpool, Inter Milan and Chelsea coach the favourite to replace Ancelotti, who was fired by Real on Monday after a season without major silverware.
Benitez has had mixed fortunes during his stint with Napoli and if he does join Real he will be taking on one of the most challenging coaching jobs in club soccer.
Italian Ancelotti was dismissed a year after he ended 12 years of Champions League failure and led Real to a record-extending 10th European crown, as well as a King's Cup triumph.
Benitez said he understood the speculations over his future posting but asked to be given the time and space to finish what he had started at Napoli.
"I want to stay focused on Napoli, I want to end things here in the best way possible and I will have time to talk afterwards. I understand that the Spanish press is putting on some pressure and accept it but you too must accept that my main interest is to do a good job with my team and I will have lots of time to think about my future after and to give my best wherever it is. I will end up working but for now, I repeat, I ask you to please let me concentrate on Napoli and we'll talk about the future at a later date," he said.
Napoli won the Coppa Italia last term and finished third in Serie A but have been unable to use that as a platform for greater success.
They started this campaign by losing a Champions League qualifier to Athletic Bilbao and missed out on the lucrative group stage.
Beaten in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and Europa League, they are fourth in Serie A and need to beat third-placed Lazio to earn a place in next season's Champions League playoff round.
De Laurentiis gave no word on who might take over from Benitez, saying only that they would be named "soon". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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