"Napoli" club goes bankrupt © EuroFootball.com

According to the news agency ANSA, the legendary Italian club has been declared bankrupt. The bankruptcy court will officially announce its decision tomorrow, but sources in court say that bankruptcy is already inevitable.

Last week, the Naples club did not receive a license to play in Serie-B because it has large debts, estimated at around 70 million euros.

The 78-year-old club, which had one of the best players of all time, Diego Maradona, in its team two decades ago, helped the club win Serie-A twice, as well as UEFA and Italian cups.

The club, with many fans in Italy, has been embroiled in legal battles for the past two years between former owners Salvatore Naldi and Giorgio Corbelli - leading to its downfall.

For a while, the situation was tried to be salvaged by "Perugia" president Luciano Gaucci, but his attempt to bypass the rules, according to which one person cannot control two clubs in the same division, ended with the rejection of the proposal to lease "Napoli" by both the Federation and the Appeals Tribunal.

Despite the bankruptcy, it seems that a new club should be created in the C1 division, so that football does not disappear from the major cities, in accordance with the so-called "Lodo Petrucci rule," which allows businessmen to buy the available spot.

Four people have already started fighting for this spot: Gaucci mentioned above takes over "Napoli Sportiva," Siena president Paolo De Luca is creating "Napoli F.C." and promises to borrow players from "Napoli," Luiso Vinicio's "Azzura Napoli" is preparing to sell shares to fans, and a group of businessmen from the city of Nola is preparing "Napoli Sport."

By Tuesday afternoon, these potential clubs must provide financial guarantees of 7.5 million euros and prove stability for at least one season in Serie-C1. The decision on who will receive this opportunity will be made on Wednesday in the city council.