NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Antonio Conte confirmed on Sunday that he is leaving Napoli after two years in charge, during which he led the southern team back to the Serie A title.
The 56-year-old Conte is one of the leading candidates to take over the Italian national team, potentially returning to the Azzurri after his first stint at the helm from 2014-16.
Conte held a press conference alongside club president Aurelio De Laurentiis after Napoli’s final match of the season, a 1-0 win over Udinese on Sunday.
“A month ago I called the president … I told him that I sensed that our project was coming to an end,” Conte said. “I made this decision because at Napoli I failed in one thing: I didn’t bring unity to the environment and so it’s difficult to compete with others.
“I failed because I didn’t unite everyone and I put my hands up. I realize that things cannot be changed … It was an honor, I thank the president and the fans who understood me.”
Napoli, which was plagued by injury problems all season, finished second in Serie A.
Conte signed a three-year contract with Napoli when he was hired in 2024. Napoli was coming off a dismal season, where it had been one of the worst defending champions in the league’s history and had finished 10th.
Napoli went on to reclaim the Serie A title in Conte’s first season.
Conte previously coached Juventus and Inter Milan to Serie A titles, while he also had stints in charge at Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League.
Conte steered an unfancied Italy team unexpectedly to the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Championship, where it lost to Germany in a penalty shootout.
The Italian national team is in crisis after failing for a third straight time to qualify for the World Cup, prompting the resignations of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso last month.
“It’s all just talk,” Conte said on Sunday when asked about the Italy job. “In the past I only said about the national team that if I were the president of the federation I would also include Conte among the candidates.
“But as of now I don’t know anything about my future. I might well take time out and rest.”
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