Why Roma CEO Souloukou came under fire after De Rossi dismissal

Roma CEO Lina Soulokou has been cast under the spotlight following the sacking of club legend Daniele De Rossi on Wednesday, and reports in Italy suggest the pair had their fair share of grievances over the summer.

De Rossi was dismissed from his role as head coach of his beloved Roma on Wednesday morning, following a winless start to the 2024-25 season and just one win from his last 11 competitive matches in charge.

Some suggestions in the aftermath of his sacking claim that a falling-out with the club’s CEO was a major part of the reason why De Rossi was let go so early on in the campaign.

Reported disagreements between De Rossi and Roma CEO Souloukou

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, De Rossi and Souloukou had a couple of disagreements over the summer, particularly in regards to the transfer window.

The coach was reportedly upset with the way the club handled the situation that saw star attacker Paulo Dybala almost move to the Saudi Pro League with just a few days of the Serie A window remaining.

Tension between De Rossi and Souloukou also increased towards the end of the transfer window when requests for certain players were delayed, according to Friday’s update.

Soulokukou was also rumoured to be hesitant to discuss a contract extension with De Rossi at the end of the 2023-24 season. The coach had originally replaced Jose Mourinho on a contract until the end of the campaign, and then penned a new deal until the summer of 2027 in June.

Souloukou, however, had been keen to explore opportunities with Raffaele Palladino and Francesco Modesto, potentially even as sporting directors.

Large sections of the Roma fanbase have decided to side with De Rossi after his dismissal, and ultras have decided to stage a protest at the beginning of Sunday’s Serie A match against Udinese.

The supporters will boycott the first half hour of Sunday’s match at the Stadio Olimpico, which will also be Ivan Juric’s first as the new Giallorossi coach.