Conte confirms departure from Napoli, cites 'poison' around team

Antonio Conte on Sunday confirmed that he is stepping down as Napoli coach, as the Partenopei finished their Serie A campaign in second behind Inter Milan.

Conte has been in charge at Napoli since 2024 and won the Serie A title last season. The lone trophy this season was the Italian Super Cup.

Following Napoli's 1-0 win over Udinese in the last game of the Serie A campaign, Conte told reporters that he had informed club president Aurelio De Laurentiis that he would step down a month ago, adding "the decision was mine."

"I've never been one for mediocre seasons, and I never will be," Conte said.

The 56-year-old cited "a lot of poison" around Napoli.

"At Napoli," Conti explained, "I failed in one thing: I was not able to bring you together and without togetherness within you can't fight against your adversaries. I have seen a lot of poison around, and those who spread poison are losers."

Conte, who last month said he sees himself as contender for a possible return as Italy national team coach after Gennaro Gattuso's exit, also clarified he didn't "know anything about my future. I may even take a break and rest."