An account has been given of the feisty scenes that unfolded in the tunnel after the final whistle of the Derby della Capitale between Lazio and Roma on Sunday evening.
Roma’s Bryan Cristante and Lazio’s Adam Marusic were both shown red cards on the pitch after the final whistle, but the tensions continued in the tunnel and around the dressing rooms soon after.
According to reports in Corriere dello Sport, things kicked off again after Alessio Romagnoli was told to walk in a different direction to avoid confrontation with the disappointed Roma players.
The 28-year-old defender responded: “I don’t give a damn, I’ll go where I want,” much to the fury of the Giallorossi staff.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto then followed Romagnoli in walking past the Roma squad in what was described as an enormous provocation according to Corriere.
The alleged provocation prompted a response from Gianluca Mancini, who emerged naked from the Roma dressing room.
“Ale, be serious,” he said. “I’ve won a derby before too, but I didn’t start this much drama. Stop trying to be the phenomenon.”
Unsurprisingly, Mancini’s comments did not calm down the situation, which then escalated into a spat between Jose Mourinho and Lazio President Claudio Lotito.
It was a hostile ending to a fiery affair between the two clubs in Rome in a derby that shows no signs of calming down any time soon.