These are far from peaceful hours at Roma after the club’s decision to sack Daniele De Rossi to make way for Ivan Juric, the coach who made his debut yesterday in a protesting Olimpico with a convincing 3-0 against Udinese. Before the match, the CEO resigned Lina Souloukou: the Greek manager pays for the decision to change coach, strongly contested by the Giallorossi fans.
With Souloukou having stepped down, it remains to be seen who the Friedkin family will decide to put in her place. Many names have been circulating in the Giallorossi environment, reported today by all the press, including Umberto Gandini and Giampaolo Montali, managers who have already been part of the Giallorossi organization chart in the past, as well as the figures of Zvonimir Boban and Zibi Boniek. While waiting for the final decision, the club’s reins are held by Maurizio Lombardo, the general secretary, and Lorenzo Vitali, the Friedkins’ trusted lawyer.
But be careful with this last name, that of Lorenzo Vitali, a lawyer who is highly esteemed in Rome: for the role of new CEO at Trigoria, the chances of his possible promotion are increasing.
Yesterday, at the end of Roma-Udinese 3-0, Juric expressed himself as follows on Lina Souloukou’s resignation: “I’m sorry because there were family situations, children always come first. I’m very sorry for her on a human level, it’s a really difficult time. In the end, we have to think about training well, playing well in matches, giving our best to our fans, focusing on this. The rest is up to others to think about, we have to work well on the pitch”.
Yesterday, Roma announced the resignation of Lina Souloukou: “AS Roma announces that CEO Lina Souloukou has resigned. We thank Lina for her dedication at a particularly critical time for the Club and wish her all the best in her future professional endeavors. The ownership remains fully focused on the growth and success of Roma, with constant attention to the values that make our team so special.”