Melbourne City assistant Raffaele Napoli has departed the Isuzu UTE A-League side “to pursue an overseas coaching opportunity”.
Napoli re-joined City from French club Troyes in December last year, having followed Patrick Kisnorbo to Europe, after a previous decade-long tenure in Melbourne.
He leaves the 2020-21 champions after contributing significantly to both the youth and first-team programs across multiple roles during his time at the club, while he oversaw a couple of matches last season in the absence of Aurelio Vidmar.
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“We thank Raffaele for his dedication and service and wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” City said in a statement.
Replacing Napoli is Paul Pezos, who has been appointed as an assistant coach and will join Aurelio Vidmar’s staff with immediate effect.
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Pezos – who spent time playing with Perth Glory in the A-Leagues – will travel with the squad for Friday night’s Round 7 fixture against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
An AFC Pro License holder, Pezos joins City off the back of a multi-Championship winning tenure with Adelaide City in NPLM SA, having previously coached at West Adelaide as well as Adelaide United’s youth and women’s teams.
