Napoli season ticket sales plummet to new low

Apparently Napoli fans were even more disillusioned this summer than they'd previously let on. According to reports out of Italy, Napoli sold a mere 6500 season tickets this summer, less than half of what they managed a year ago, and just barely over a tenth of the capacity of the Stadio San Paolo.

It's an abysmal number, and one of the worst totals in Serie A. Only Lazio, Udinese, Cagliari, Chievo, and Empoli sold fewer season tickets, though Lazio is claiming that they sold more than the official tallies indicate. Even Sassuolo, Cesena, and Palermo all sold more tickets.

Many have been quick to blame Napoli's unceremonious Champions League exit for the lack of sales, but the truth is far more concerning than that. Tickets have been on sale for months, not just the last two weeks, so this weakness in sales is far more wide-reaching than such a reactionary viewpoint would imply. It means that fans weren't eager or willing to commit to the club's matches this season, generally indicating a lack of belief in what's to come.

This is by far the lowest total of season ticket sales in the Aurelio De Laurentiis era, even compared to when the club was in lower divisions. By comparison, Juventus lead the league with 28,000 season tickets sold. Roma sold over 26,000, Inter and Fiorentina around 20,000, and Sampdoria 18,000. Seeing those much more acceptable sales totals makes Napoli's paltry sum even harder to swallow.