No cards & 50-minute matches: Napoli president proposes radical football changes to prevent 'losing younger generation'

Speaking to The Athletic from his residence in Beverly Hills, De Laurentiis warned that football risks losing its future fanbase if it does not adapt to modern attention spans. The Napoli owner believes the sport must become more spectacular and faster-paced to compete with digital entertainment like the PlayStation. His vision includes reducing match length to 50 minutes of effective playing time and introducing significant changes to the offside rule to encourage more goalscoring opportunities.

The Italian film producer expressed particular frustration with the 15-minute half-time interval, suggesting that young viewers are likely to abandon broadcasts for other activities during the break. He argues that the current pace of televised matches fails to engage children who are accustomed to the rapid speed of virtual football.

Warning of a potential decline in global interest, De Laurentiis stated: “Soccer will lose the younger generation. The matches are too long. Imagine the stupidity! You think my grandchild of six years old, who knows everything (about football) because he plays with the PlayStation… he will escape…  and you think you will recoup him after 15 minutes? Never! Because he goes in his room. He starts to play FIFA.”

Beyond timing, De Laurentiis proposed replacing traditional yellow and red cards with a "sin-bin" system to increase the immediate sporting consequences for foul play. He believes this would prevent players from deliberately taking tactical fouls that disrupt the flow of the game without sufficient in-match punishment.

He added: “Number one: I will reduce from 45 minutes each (half) to 25 minutes. But also you cannot stay down on the field and play around like an actor! 'AGHHHH!' he groans as if he's in pain. NO - you will go OUT! What I will do also - I will never use a red card and a yellow card. I would say ‘YOU - get out for five minutes (for a yellow card)!’ And ‘YOU - get out for 20 minutes for a red card!'"

Napoli currently sit second in Serie A with 66 points from 32 matches, trailing leaders Inter by nine points as the season enters its final stretch. While the focus remains on closing that gap, the club faces a potential period of transition with Antonio Conte entering the final year of his deal amid intensifying links to the Italian national team. The Partenopei have a demanding run-in to maintain their domestic standing, with upcoming fixtures against Lazio and Cremonese in April, followed by clashes with Como, Bologna, Pisa, and Udinese in May.