(Reuters) - Napoli's problems continued when they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Genoa in a tense atmosphere and jeered off the field on Saturday following a tumultuous week at the Serie A club.
The San Paolo stadium was barely one third full on a damp evening after a week in which the team defied orders from club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis confining them to a training retreat.
Players were greeted with insults as they warmed up on the pitch and there was near silence when the stadium announcer read out the Napoli line-up before the game.
Napoli, runners-up in three of the last four seasons, stayed seventh on 19 points, 12 behind leaders Inter Milan, after extending their winless run to five matches in all competitions, although four of those have been draws.
Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti and his players did not give any post-match interviews as the squad continued a media silence.
Lorenzo Insigne thought he had put Napoli ahead after two minutes but Hirving Lozano was ruled offside in the build-up. After that, it was a lacklustre display from Napoli which further angered their supporters.
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly prevented it from being worse for the hosts with a miraculous clearance off the line from Andrea Pinamonti's point-blank shot in the second-half.
Napoli nearly grabbed a late winner but substitute Elif Elmas's header was clawed away by Genoa goalkeeper Ionut Radu and, predictably, the final whistle was greeted with a chorus of jeers from the stands.
(Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond)
