Chairman Salvatore Naldi Top goalscorer Davide Dionigi (8) | Coppa Italia Primary Round | |
Manager Andrea Agostinelli
Luigi Simoni Serie B 13th (relegated to Serie C1) | ||
S.S.C. Napoli endured a horror season, which was to be the last for the second incarnation of the club. The target prior to the season was promotion to Serie A, and several experienced players were brought in to achieve that goal, among them Massimo Carrera, Renato Olive, Rubens Pasino and Gianluca Savoldi. Especially the signing of Savoldi was significant, since he is the son of legendary Napoli striker Giuseppe Savoldi. Even though the club lost captain Roberto Stellone to Reggina, its chances to be promoted were seen as rather good.
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When the season unfolded, Napoli drew way to many matches, and could not manage to score enough goals. Then supporter Sergio Ercolano was killed when falling down from the stands at the derby with Avellino. That forced Napoli to play three home matches in front of an empty stadium. When coach Andrea Agostinelli was replaced by Luigi Simoni, Napoli at least salvaged a 13th place in the table, and looked set to stay in Serie B for 2004-05.
That changed when it became apparent that president Salvatore Naldi could not fund the club any longer, which meant bankruptcy for the second time in the Napoletean footballing history. Therefore, the 1987 and 1990 Italian champions were out of business. Among the potential saviours were Perugia president Luciano Gaucci and former club advisor Paolo De Luca, in 2004 president of Siena. But outsider and film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis won the battle for ownership of the defunct clubs' Serie C1 slot, and formed Napoli Soccer in its place. Within a year, the new club had reverted its name to S.S.C. Napoli.