The Roma manager, Luciano Spalletti, will reportedly meet with the club’s directors on Monday following an alleged bustup with Francesco Totti.
Spalletti issued a statement on Sunday, following his side’s 3-3 draw with Atalanta, to categorically deny an argument or “physical confrontation” with any of players despite a number of reports to the contrary.
“What I read has surprised me a great deal, seeing as I was sent off for dissent and therefore did not go into the tunnel with my players,” Spalletti said. “I waited for the players in the locker room and obviously had some things to say, seeing as I was not happy with the way the game went.
“I categorically deny there was an argument or even worse a physical confrontation with any of my players. I do not lay my hands on my players.”
Gazzetta dello Sport reported that following the match Spalletti began shouting at his players before Totti intervened much to the annoyance of his manager who reportedly hit back: “You shut up. You’re not the one to talk, when you go around the rooms playing cards until 2am!”
Totti, 39 and in his 24th Serie A season, holds considerable influence at Roma and while he has made only 10 appearances this season, he did score a late equaliser against Atalanta, having come off the bench with 15 minutes to go.
The club president, James Pallotta, attempted to pour cold water on the situation, saying after the match that, “it wasn’t just an argument between Francesco and the coach. What happened is not different than what happened with other players today.”
Gazetta reported that Totti will leave Roma at the end of the season and the focus of the meeting that will include Spalletti, the sporting director, Walter Sabatini, and the general director, Mauro Baldissoni, will focus on how much of a role the veteran forward plays on the pitch between now and then.
Sunday’s draw, in which Roma led 2-0 after goals from Lucas Digne and Radja Nainggolan before falling behind to Marco D’Alessandro’s strike and a double from Marco Borriello, leaves them in third place in Serie A, five points behind second-placed Napoli.
