Denied doctor, beaten by sports director: De Guzman accuses Napoli

When Jonathan de Guzman moved to Napoli after a strong World Cup in 2014, the Dutchman was considered a great hope in the Vesuvius city. But instead of becoming a celebrated hero among the southern Italians, he experienced a horror time. What de Guzman, who is now thriving again at Eintracht Frankfurt, said in an interview with journalist Bart Vliestra “de Volkskrant” about his time in Naples is hard to believe.

Knot in the stomach: “I should eat less carbohydrates” National coach Louis van Gaal saw central midfield play as one of the most important reasons why Holland reached third place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. As a result, de Guzman moved to Napoli, where coach Rafael Benitez had taken over as coach. The first few months went well. De Guzman was a top performer and felt at home in the metropolis on Vesuvius. What happened next is incredible. Jonathan de Guzman in the Napoli jersey. © APA/epa / CESARE ABBATE

In March 2015, de Guzman noticed a slight lump in his stomach. He turned to Napoli doctor Alfonso De Nicola, but he was unable to make a diagnosis and prescribed a diet for the Dutchman. “I should eat less carbohydrates,” says de Guzman. Because De Nicola's opinion was highly valued by Napoli bosses, de Guzman was banned from seeing a specialist and getting a second opinion on his health.

The following summer, Maurizio Sarri took over as coach at Napoli, and Cristiano Giuntoli became the new sports director. De Guzman was cleared by the club doctor and took part in training. But the Dutchman had problems and, according to his own statements, could only “walk 6 kilometers per game instead of running 10 kilometers”. “You are a dead man” Of course, the fans noticed this and assumed that de Guzman was simulating the pain. And the midfielder himself also had doubts about his health. He imagined that the pain and the knot in his stomach might only exist in his head. When the transfer window came to an end, Giuntoli informed him that he had to leave Napoli. De Guzman refused a transfer and returned to the training pitch. “Come here, you piece of shit!” Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli to de Guzman That pissed off the sports director. Giuntoli called de Guzman “pezzo di merda” during training, punched him in the face and started a fight. Napoli full-back Juan Zuniga had to separate the fights. President Aurelio De Laurentis could not be reached for de Guzman, but his son Edoardo, on Giuntoli's instructions, delivered a message to the Dutchman: “Now you are no longer allowed to change. You have to stay here and you’re a dead man.” Teammates turned away from de Guzman In the following four months, de Guzman was not allowed to take part in team training. Instead, he jogged around the training ground. The Napoli team turned away from him, and no teammate took sides with the Dutchman. No wonder for de Guzman: “If a player had stood up for me, the club would have thrown him out.” However, he was finally allowed to get a second doctor’s opinion. Within ten minutes a Danish specialist diagnosed a hernia, but the recommended operation was rejected by Napoli doctor De Nicola. The reason: “I don’t believe in surgery and I don’t want to be the one who ruins your career.” Can laugh again: Jonathan de Guzman in training with Frankfurt.

It was only when de Guzman was loaned to Carpi in the winter of 2016 that the operation could be carried out. The pain quickly disappeared, de Guzman was able to train fully again and slowly returned to his old level. As a result, he turned down an offer worth millions from Asia and moved to Chievo. There, de Guzman fought his way back into the spotlight, then went to Frankfurt and celebrated the DFB Cup victory with Eintracht in spring 2018.

Despite everything, de Guzman doesn't hold much grudge against Napoli. He especially has a high opinion of Sarri, who gave him a real chance after his loan return from Carpi: “He is a good coach. A lot of things were good in Naples and football is a business. I understand that, but this story is simply inhumane.”

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Denied doctor, beaten by sports director: De Guzman accuses Napoli

It's an incredible story that Frankfurt professional Jonathan de Guzman tells. During his time at Napoli, he was systematically banned from seeing a doctor and withheld treatment. Eventually he was beaten by the sports director and expelled from the team.

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