Among the many teams in the Italian football league, Napoli is one of the most successful and one of the longest running football clubs. Founded in 1904, the Naples-based club has already garnered two Serie A championships under its azure blue shirts. It is also one of the teams that have the biggest number of loyal Italian supporters. Currently, the team has an estimated 9% of the Italian football fans as its supporters and followers. The team’s crowd is always very active during the matches or games. Now that there is a possibility of Internet stream coverage of the games, the Neapolitans will surely be delighted. This proves the popularity of the team despite its up-and-down record in the football league. And who could forget Diego Maradona? Perhaps, Maradona is the greatest and the most controversial player Napoli has had during its more than 100-year history. Ever since Maradona joined, the team has never been so alive and popular as it was before. It was in the Maradona era that the team has achieved its highest achievements. The team won its first major European title under Maradona’s leadership in the 1988-89 season of the UEFA Cup. The Neapolitans were so ecstatic over that championship, which they had won under Maradona’s skillful guidance on the team. It was in the Maradona era also that Napoli won numerous titles. They won their two Serie A titles at a time when Maradona was directing the players on the field, proving his worth for the millions of Italian liras being paid to him by the football club. However, intrigues plagued Maradona’s career at the Naples-based football club. He tested positive for using cocaine and was terminated out of the team. Maradona claimed that this was due to his anti-racist remarks during the 1990 World Cup wherein he urged the Neapolitans to support his home country, Argentina, against Italy during a match. Maradona was never able to play with the team ever since then. Napoli also had experienced an up-and-down performance in the 1990s. The team’s status declined both on the field and in financial terms. The team was relegated to Serie B and has not won any title during this period. Financially, the team’s resources are drying up and they badly needed some investors who could infuse funds into the team. Thanks to Aurelio De Laurentiis, a film producer and avid fan of the team, he revived the team in 2004 and now the team is back on track. What is notable during this period is that despite the club’s dwindling status, the fans never missed to support the players and the team. Neapolitans continued to flock into the stadium to watch and cheer for their team. That’s a great way to continue the morale of the players, even if the team is not performing very well. But now, Napoli has regained much of its previous strength and is now ready to compete again in full force. The team is now back on its old name, SSC Napoli. Hence the team will surely be one of the favorite teams once more in every Italian football league, most especially now that there will be a possibility that the matches can be watched through the Internet on stream.
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Among the many teams in the Italian football league, Napoli is one of the most successful and one of the longest running football clubs. Founded in 1904, the Naples-based club has already garnered two Serie A championships under its azure blue shirts. It is also one of the teams that have the biggest number of loyal Italian supporters. Currently, the team has an estimated 9% of the Italian football fans as its supporters and followers.
Ferrari Antonio is author of this article on Sport. Find more information about Formula 1 here.
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