Take Two! Naples Gears up Again for Huge Title Party

Football - Serie A - Napoli v Salernitana - Naples, Italy - April 30, 2023 General view of a Napoli banner hung from an apartment building before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Serie A - Napoli v Salernitana - Naples, Italy - April 30, 2023 General view of a Napoli banner hung from an apartment building before the match. (Reuters)
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Take Two! Naples Gears up Again for Huge Title Party

Football - Serie A - Napoli v Salernitana - Naples, Italy - April 30, 2023 General view of a Napoli banner hung from an apartment building before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Serie A - Napoli v Salernitana - Naples, Italy - April 30, 2023 General view of a Napoli banner hung from an apartment building before the match. (Reuters)

Napoli will open up the Diego Armando Maradona stadium on Thursday night for a live screening of their away game with Udinese when they hope to clinch the league title, local authorities said on Tuesday.

Napoli also expect as many as 10,000 fans to make the long trek to northeast Italy for a match when a point will be enough to claim their first league title since Maradona was in his pomp in 1990.

Extra police will be on duty in Udine for the game, with Napoli supporters taking up around half of the capacity of the Stadio Friuli.

The result may even be academic: Napoli could be crowned champions the previous night if Lazio fail to win their Wednesday home match with Sassuolo. Lazio, who are in second spot, trail Napoli by 18 points with six games to play.

Hundreds of thousands of Napoli fans had flooded into the center of the southern Italian port city on Sunday expecting their team to beat local rivals Salernitana and secure the Serie A championship for only the third time in their history.

But a late equalizer by the visitors put one of the largest street parties Italy has seen in years on hold for a few days.



Silva Laments Fulham's 'Passive' Transfer Activity as Premier League Opener Nears

09 August 2025, United Kingdom, London: Fulham players celebrate their teams first goal during the pre season friendly soccer match between Fulham and Eintracht Frankfurt  at Craven Cottage. Photo: James Manning/PA Wire/dpa
09 August 2025, United Kingdom, London: Fulham players celebrate their teams first goal during the pre season friendly soccer match between Fulham and Eintracht Frankfurt at Craven Cottage. Photo: James Manning/PA Wire/dpa
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Silva Laments Fulham's 'Passive' Transfer Activity as Premier League Opener Nears

09 August 2025, United Kingdom, London: Fulham players celebrate their teams first goal during the pre season friendly soccer match between Fulham and Eintracht Frankfurt  at Craven Cottage. Photo: James Manning/PA Wire/dpa
09 August 2025, United Kingdom, London: Fulham players celebrate their teams first goal during the pre season friendly soccer match between Fulham and Eintracht Frankfurt at Craven Cottage. Photo: James Manning/PA Wire/dpa

Fulham manager Marco Silva has criticized the club's "passive" approach in the close-season transfer window, with only one signing secured ahead of their Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Fulham, who finished 11th last season after flirting with European qualification, have so far signed goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte from French side Montpellier on a free transfer.

Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson, who spent last season on loan at Craven Cottage, has been linked with a move to Fulham, while the West London club's Brazilian forward Rodrigo Muniz has reportedly attracted interest from Italian side Atalanta.

"It's not an ideal scenario. You used the word 'quiet' — I have to say we've been too passive. If you asked me if I expected it, I'd say of course not. But it is what it is, it's the market," Silva told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters.

"It's important we didn't get injuries during pre-season because, in some positions, we are very short on numbers. We want to at least have a squad and players on the bench to play a Premier League game and meet the demands the league asks of you.

"It's unexpected, even if it's normal for Fulham to sign players late. I don't go in that direction — I know what we want, and the plan was there."

Muniz, who has scored 26 goals in 97 appearances for Fulham since joining in 2021, remains part of Silva's plans for the Brighton match despite speculation about his future.

"It is not for me to comment on any type of offers, but he is going to be in contention for the Brighton game. Rodrigo knows what I think about him and how important he is," Silva said of the 24-year-old Muniz.

Fulham visit Brighton before hosting Manchester United on August 24.

With the transfer window set to close on September 1 for Premier League clubs, Silva is hopeful of bolstering his squad before the deadline day.

"Let's hope we can do something before the end of the month, because right now it doesn't make sense for us to look toward the Brighton game or even the Man Utd game, as we've left it very late to reinforce the positions we need," Silva said.