Napoli's two Curvas unite in banner accusing De Laurentiis over centenary

"Pretty clear, this centenary: your only goal is monetary value." That is the message of a banner that went up in Naples on the eve of Napoli's match against Lazio, which kicks off at the Maradona at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET) on Sunday 8 November.

The joint signature matters more than the words. When both Curvas speak with one voice, the message carries more weight. So does the target. For days, after the 2-0 defeat to Juventus in Turin and the 4-1 loss in Porto, the fanbase has argued about Allegri's future on the bench. This time the organised support skips the coach and goes straight to the owner.

It also picks the argument that hurts most. The club was founded on 25 August 1926, and this was meant to be the season of celebration. So far the centenary has mostly shown up on supermarket shelves, in eight Coca-Cola cans marking the league titles and the number 10, on sale in Campania until March 2027.

There is nothing to celebrate on the pitch. Napoli are tenth with 14 points after ten games: four wins, two draws and four defeats. Lazio arrive with 28, twice as many. Fourth place, the target Allegri has set, is nine points away.

The president's response has been all about process. He held a face-to-face meeting with the squad after the game on 1 November and ordered a retreat at the Gli Dei hotel in Pozzuoli. On Friday 6 November he spent an hour at Castel Volturno (the training ground) with Allegri and Manna. He came out backing both men and promising reinforcements in January.

The context behind the words

The word "monetary" lands in an autumn full of talk about money around the club. On 22 October De Laurentiis turned down an American offer worth €2.26bn. "Napoli is not for sale," he said. A few days later, on 27 and 28 October, he met the Aponte family of MSC twice in Geneva. The plan for a new stadium at San Giovanni a Teduccio is still on the table, possibly with MSC money behind it. All of this is public, and the banner rolls it into one accusation.

"Pretty clear, this centenary: your only goal is monetary value."

We are neither the club's press office nor its prosecutors. To be fair, this presidency has brought two league titles in three seasons, which makes "only goal" unfair. But the question from the Curvas cannot be brushed aside.

The squad now sitting tenth was built in a summer window that closed on 1 September, and the next chance to fix it opens on 2 January. Fans who want answers now are being promised signings in two months. In the bars of the city the question is simple: if the centenary season is being wasted, who is accountable? A retreat and meetings behind closed doors are not an answer.

On Sunday the team face the unbeaten league leaders without their captain, Di Lorenzo, and with half the defence injured. The banner was addressed to the president, but the first reply will have to come from the players, at 12:30.