Roma have officially confirmed Daniele De Rossi “was late for a meeting and Luis Enrique would not forgive him. The rules are clear.”
There was confusion when De Rossi was spotted in the stands of today’s 4-1 defeat to Atalanta, amid reports he had arrived only a few minutes late for this morning’s team meeting.
Roma have officially confirmed Daniele De Rossi “was late for a meeting and Luis Enrique would not forgive him. The rules are clear.”
There was confusion when De Rossi was spotted in the stands of today’s 4-1 defeat to Atalanta, amid reports he had arrived only a few minutes late for this morning’s team meeting.
“De Rossi was late for a meeting and the rules are clear,” director of sport Walter Sabatini told Roma Channel.
“Luis Enrique would not forgive him for this lateness, as everyone has to respect the rules. The club agreed with this decision, because this is the Roma we want, even if it comes through unpopular decisions.”
It was also reported that De Rossi was furious until he had a meeting with director Franco Baldini.
“Daniele was late, the Coach has always said there are rules that nobody can transgress,” confirmed Baldini on RAI Sport.
“What’s really disappointing is that it happened to a player who usually keeps others in check.
“Did the lad take it well? I challenge anyone to take that well. I can understand it might seem difficult to accept this decision, but we have often talked about this.
“The Coach always asked for absolute respect on these few rules. It already happened in Florence with Daniel Osvaldo. Our Coach always thinks about the long term for the squad rather than short-term convenience and this will eventually bear fruit.”
The 4-1 defeat to Atalanta had a sting in the tail, though, as Osvaldo and Marco Cassetti were sent off, while Fernando Gago was booked, so they will be suspended for next week’s derby with Lazio.