Napoli’s outspoken president Aurelio De Laurentiis has mocked Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi for saying it is almost impossible to construct privately owned stadiums in Italy.

“Berlusconi seems smart,” said De Laurentiis during an interview on Sunday evening.

“It’s strange what the prime minister said, as he is also a football man (as owner of Milan). It annoys me to hear that, as he has the means to create an English-style model (of stadium construction).

“In reality, he passed a law that has been delayed for three years.”

During a meeting with Milan’s players on Saturday, prior to their 2-0 defeat at Juventus’ new stadium in Turin on Sunday, Berlusconi said that stadium construction in Italy was often frustrated by red tape.

“There are so many difficulties for constructing private stadiums,” he said.

“In Italy it’s difficult to build things. There’s a kind of jealously of bureaucracy. Compliments to Juve for having found a way.”

A bill to promote the construction of new stadiums has passed back and forth between the two houses of the Italian parliament for three years.

Several club presidents, including Roma’s new American owner Thomas DiBenedetto, would like to build stadiums belonging to their clubs in order to boost match-day income as sides from England and Germany are able to.

Stadiums in Italy are owned by municipal authorities and rented out to the teams that play in them.

Juventus were the first team to build their own stadium, which opened at the beginning of the current season.

Lazio and Roma no longer wish to share Rome’s Stadio Olimpico and are working on constructions projects, while Fiorentina last week unveiled a model for a proposed new ground.