Chaos continues to reign at Roma as CEO Lina Souloukou resigns amid fan anger
Roma's head coach Daniele De Rossi waits for the start of the Europa League second leg semi-final soccer match between Leverkusen and Roma at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Thursday, May 9, 2024. Credit: AP/Matthias Schrader
ROME — The firing of a club hero, planned protests and now the resignation of the CEO — chaos continues to reign at Roma.
A frenetic week continued at the capital club on Sunday as CEO and general manager Lina Souloukou resigned amid reports she played a major part in coach Daniele De Rossi’s surprise dismissal.
Roma fired De Rossi on Wednesday and hired Ivan Jurić in a move that was surprising despite the Giallorossi going winless in their opening four Italian league matches.
Fans were outraged at the decision to fire their beloved former captain and there are protests planned for Sunday’s match at home to in-form Udinese. The Curva Sud will stay outside the stadium for the first half hour of the match, while fans in other sectors will be there from the start but limit their support to the second half.
Many directed their ire at Souloukou, believing that a falling out over the summer — partly due to transfer strategy — was a major reason why De Rossi was let go so early in the campaign. The now former Roma CEO reportedly had to have a security detail over the past few days.
“AS Roma announces today that CEO Lina Souloukou has stepped down from her role,” Roma said in a brief statement. “We thank Lina for her dedicated service during a critical period for the club and wish her the best in her future endeavors.
“The ownership remains fully committed to AS Roma’s growth and success, with continued focus on the values that make our club so special.”
Roma manager Daniele De Rossi speaks to his team during a Serie A soccer match against Atalanta at Gewiss Stadium, in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, May 12, 2024. Credit: AP/Spada
Owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin have never spoken publicly in the four years since they purchased Roma from fellow American James Pallotta and have not explained why they fired De Rossi.
De Rossi was hired in January to replace the fired Jose Mourinho and impressed so much during the second half of last season that he was given a contract extension in June through 2026-27 — something Souloukou was reportedly hesitant about.
Souloukou had only taken the role at Roma in April 2023 having previously worked in the same position at Greek club Olympiacos.
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