Former Roma President James Pallotta says that he was forced to sell Mohamed Salah and Alisson and insists that he bought a ‘bankrupt club’, triggering a reaction from former owner Rosella Sensi.
Pallotta acquired a majority stake in Roma from the Sensi family in 2011 and remained on charge for nearly ten years. He sold the club to the Friedkin family in August 2020.
Many top players wore the Giallorossi’s shirt during the Pallotta era, including Salah, Alisson, Radja Nainggolan, Marquinhos and Edin Dzeko. However, the club didn’t manage to win anything during Pallotta’s reign at the Stadio Olimpico.
“I look at the team we had put together and, frankly, I think that if it weren’t for Financial Fair Play that forced us to have to sell players, Roma would be in first place today,” he said during an interview with SiriusXM.
“Over the years we have had Salah, Alisson, Nainggolan, Dzeko, Pjanic, Strootman, Paredes, Emerson Palmieri, Manolas, Benatia, Marquinhos.
“No team apart from Juventus won the Scudetto from 2012 to 2020. We finished second three times and we reached the Champions League semi-finals. It’s probably a better trend than any other Juve rival.
“The club that we bought in 2011 was very different from the one that we sold,” he continued.
“We inherited a club with huge debts, low revenues. It was bankrupt. I don’t care about what previous owners would say.
“We negotiated the purchase with Unicredit and if I am dealing with a bank, it means that the bank owns the club.”
These last lines didn’t impress former owner Rosella Sensi, the daughter of ex-Roma President Franco.
“It is true that shame knows no depths,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve read the useless and repetitive interview of Pallotta in a newspaper. I’ve read about the usual talk and excuses, but the story is told with facts, numbers, and trophies.
“Roma’s debt today is huge and does not allow a club that was constantly among the top ones to compete for the goals that the new owners would like.
“Facts: Pallotta was the least successful president in Roma’s history, the most absent, far from a reality that deserved much more results and love.
“He talks about bankruptcy but probably doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. No more lies.”
Rosella Sensi all'attacco di Pallotta: "E' stato il presidente meno vincente della storia. Da lui le solite chiacchiere. Ora la Roma ha debiti enormi". #ASRoma #Pallotta #Friedkin https://t.co/9rcZulPlgE
— Giallorossi.net (@g_iallorossi) February 25, 2022