ROMA - A heartbroken Francesco Totti has said he will be stepping down from his role as director of AS Roma and leaving the club after 30 years.

 “I resign as a Roma executive. I was hoping that this day would never come, [but] instead this ugly and heavy day has arrived,” Totti told press at an Italian Olympic Committee conference. “This is far worse than retiring as a player. Leaving Roma is like dying.”

 The former Italy striker said his decision was as a result of a poor relationship with the heavily-criticised Roma owner, the American president James Pallotta. “Presidents pass, coaches pass, players pass, but the flags do not,” Totti declared, in a sideswipe at his former employer. Pallotta, who has owned the club for eight years, has quickly grown out of favour among Roma tifosi for seemingly not caring about the club, its culture and its history, and for treating it like a business.

 “Pallotta surrounded himself with the wrong people and he only listens to them. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you make the same mistakes for eight years, you have to ask yourself some questions,” Totti said.

 Totti also criticised the lack of individual agency he had in his role. “I never had the chance to work on the technical area,” he said, arguing that despite his high-ranking role in the club’s hierarchy he was side-lined from all major decisions. “They knew my intentions and what I wanted, to give so much to this club and team, but they never wanted me to, in all honesty,” he added.

 Totti spent 30 seasons at the club as both a player and as a senior member of staff. His scored 307 goals in 785 games as a Roma player before he retired in 2017. He won the Serie A with the club in 2001, and twice won the Coppa Italia.

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ROME - Italy proved far too strong for Jamaica in their World Cup clash, Le Azzurre progressing to the round of 16 from the group stages with a game to spare thanks to an impressive Cristiana Girelli hattrick and a late brace from Aurora Galli.

 Italy had gone into the match top of their group after a breath-taking last-gasp victory over Australia in their opening fixture, and took no time at all picking up where they had left off. Just 11 minutes in, Barbara Bonansea’s wonderful weaving run was only cut short when she was chopped down by a clumsy tackle inside the area. The referee was left little option but to award Italy a penalty and while Girelli’s first effort was saved, she made sure her second attempt put her side ahead when Italy were controversially awarded a re-take for a foul by the Jamaica goalkeeper.

 Italy were 2-0 just over 10 minutes later as a corner found its way through to Girelli, who was unmarked on the penalty spot to deflect the ball home with her knee and cap off Italy’s dominant opening display. Girelli then sealed her hattrick just a minute after the interval as she headed powerfully home from an in-swinging Giugliano cross.

 Italy were not done yet though, and second-half substitute Aurora Galli produced the game’s best moment as her thunderous strike from 25 yards out flew into the top left corner shortly after she was brought on. Galli then capped off an impressive cameo as she latched onto a pinpoint through ball by Giugliano and rounded Jamaica’s shot stopper to slot home from close range and seal the three points with nine minutes left on the clock.

 Italy have now progressed to the knockout stages of the World Cup, a feat few believed they could achieve given their tough group and lowly world ranking. Le Azzurre will face Brazil, who have won one and lost one so far, in their final group game hoping for at least a draw from the fixture to ensure they qualify in top spot and get a favourable draw for the round of 16.

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TURIN - Marco Verratti’s decisive strike four minutes from time saw Italy claim a hard-fought win over Bosnia and Herzegovina to move comfortably clear at the top of their Euro 2020 qualifying group.

 Despite the vocal support a home crowd at Juventus’ Allianz Stadium, Italy had to do it the hard way after they fell behind to a clinical finish by AS Roma star-striker Edin Dzeko in the 32^nd minute. In fact, despite over 60 per cent possession in the first half, Roberto Mancini’s men were unable to get a goal of their own and went into the break with it all to do.

 Italy, though, came flying out the blocks after the break and Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne’s stunning volley just four minutes into the second half brought the home side level.

 Italy continued to push, and while for large periods of the game it just didn’t seem to be their day, they finally made their dominance show as emphatically Verratti sealed the victory with the clock quickly running down. Insigne this time turned provider, laying the ball to Verratti to curl a wonderfully composed finish into the net from inside the area.

 Italy’s win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which followed the Azzurri’s 3-0 win over Greece four days ago, leaves them top of Group J with four wins from four games. Their closest rivals, Finland, sit three points adrift while Armenia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein are all significantly further behind.

 Italy will now travel to Armenia on September 5 for their next qualifying game, knowing that another victory would leave them on the cusp of qualification for the Euro finals next year.  

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ROME - Fabio Fognini has become the first Italian men’s tennis player in almost forty years to rank in the world top-10 as he moved above John Isner and Juan Martin del Potro to reach his highest ever career ranking.

 Fognini, who moved up the rankings two places in June and sits in tenth spot, also became the oldest ever player to rank in the top ten for the first time in their career.

 “Reaching the top ten is a bit like making a dream come true. I look back at myself as a child on the court with a racket bigger than I was and thing: that child has come a long was,” Fognini said. “This is a great achievement and drives me to continue to give my all to the sport I love.”

 The news follows a stellar season for the Italian which saw him claim victory at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The win marked the biggest title of his career and he did so by seeing off world number 3 Alexander Zverev and becoming only the fourth player in history to beat Rafael Nadal thrice on a clay court on his way to the final, in which he defeated Dušan Lajović.

 Subsequent impressive performances at the French Open and the Madrid Masters have got Italian fans excited about what Fognini could achieve this summer as the tennis circuit turns its attention to Wimbledon, which starts on July 1.

 Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, and Karen Khachanov make up the top 10 as of June 2019 in that order.

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ROME - Italy got off to a flying start at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as they came from behind to dramatically snatch a 2-1 victory against Australia in the dying seconds thanks to Barbara Bonansea’s second goal of the match.

 Le Azzurre went into the match off the back of two straight victories in recent friendly matches, and buoyed by their recent form flew out the blocks early on. Italy almost had the dream start in the ninth minute as Bonansea held off three Australian defenders to slot past veteran shot stopper Lydia Williams. Bonansea’s effort, however, was ruled out after VAR adjudged her to have been fractionally offside in the build-up to the goal much to Italy’s dismay.

 Things then got worse for Le Azzurre as some sloppy defending saw Sara Gama give away a penalty just over ten minutes later. Star striker Samantha Kerr stepped up to take it and while her initial effort was brilliantly parried by Laura Giuliani, she was quick to react to poke home the rebound and put her team 1-0 up.

 At half-time, few thought Italy, a team absent from the Women’s World Cup since 1999 and a full 9 places lower than Australia in the world rankings, had much hope of staging a comeback, but that is exactly what they did.

 Bonansea led the Italian charge and was at the heart of the action again, robbing the ball high-up the pitch ten minutes after half-time and coolly slotting home to draw the sides level. When Italy then had a second goal disallowed, again for offside, it seemed as though it just was not to be.

 But Bonansea had other ideas and a thumping header at the back post five minutes into injury time saw Italy claim a famous victory and draw level with Brazil at the top of Group C. Italy will now face Jamaica, before their likely crucial qualification showdown with Brazil later this month.

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ROME - AS Roma’s aspirations of moving into a new stadium have hit yet another road block as discussions with local government officials about transportation links to its proposed Tor di Valle location have reached an impasse.

 The Giallorossi have been planning the move since 2014 when the club first released its proposals for the Stadio della Roma, a new home which is set to house up to 60,000 fans and have a section specifically designed to house the club’s Ultras.

 Proposals were eventually approved by local authorities in February 2017 after months of protracted negotiations, but the club encountered problems at the start of the planning process and consequently extended their lease at the Stadio Olimpico, a stadium they currently share with arch-rivals Lazio, until 2020.

 However, following recent discussions with Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi it appears as though the club may be forced to extend this lease yet further as the State was unable to guarantee the swift completion of new transport links that would connect the stadium to the centre of the city. Raggi made it clear that the stadium could not open until such links were in place, as current transport links to Tor di Valle would not be able to cope with match-day requirements, however offered no assurances that such links would be completed before the proposed 2020 deadline.

 Raggi’s position has angered many at the club as it was under her insistence, in 2016, that the State took responsibility for the construction of transport links to the stadium. Prior agreements with her predecessor Ignazio Marino had provisionally agreed to allow the necessary public transportation to be built privately. Such an agreement would likely have seen the works completed by 2020.

 As it stands, with no assurances in place, AS Roma’s board face a dilemma as further delays to the opening of the stadium risk financially crippling the club. Construction costs for the Stadio della Roma stand at an estimated 300 million euros, however the total cost for facilities and additional venues such as bars, restaurants, shopping areas, and club training facilities are likely to see the project get closer to the 1-billion-euro mark. Experts have predicted that if delays to the construction transport links run on much further and the club is not able to move in by the 2022-23 season, Roma will likely have to scrap the project entirely. The club are thought to be considering pursuing legal action to receive assurances over their proposed project and investment.

 Roma will hope the situation is resolved promptly to appease fans who have rallied against the club and its ownership in recent months following a disappointing season and the club’s decision to not renew Roma legend Daniele De Rossi’s contract and in doing so treat him without the decency that fan’s believed a man who had given so much to the club deserved.

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ROME - AS Roma’s aspirations of moving into a new stadium have hit yet another road block as discussions with local government officials about transportation links to its proposed Tor di Valle location have reached an impasse.

 The Giallorossi have been planning the move since 2014 when the club first released its proposals for the Stadio della Roma, a new home which is set to house up to 60,000 fans and have a section specifically designed to house the club’s Ultras.

 Proposals were eventually approved by local authorities in February 2017 after months of protracted negotiations, but the club encountered problems at the start of the planning process and consequently extended their lease at the Stadio Olimpico, a stadium they currently share with arch-rivals Lazio, until 2020.

 However, following recent discussions with Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi it appears as though the club may be forced to extend this lease yet further as the State was unable to guarantee the swift completion of new transport links that would connect the stadium to the centre of the city. Raggi made it clear that the stadium could not open until such links were in place, as current transport links to Tor di Valle would not be able to cope with match-day requirements, however offered no assurances that such links would be completed before the proposed 2020 deadline.

 Raggi’s position has angered many at the club as it was under her insistence, in 2016, that the State took responsibility for the construction of transport links to the stadium. Prior agreements with her predecessor Ignazio Marino had provisionally agreed to allow the necessary public transportation to be built privately. Such an agreement would likely have seen the works completed by 2020.

 As it stands, with no assurances in place, AS Roma’s board face a dilemma as further delays to the opening of the stadium risk financially crippling the club. Construction costs for the Stadio della Roma stand at an estimated 300 million euros, however the total cost for facilities and additional venues such as bars, restaurants, shopping areas, and club training facilities are likely to see the project get closer to the 1-billion-euro mark. Experts have predicted that if delays to the construction transport links run on much further and the club is not able to move in by the 2022-23 season, Roma will likely have to scrap the project entirely. The club are thought to be considering pursuing legal action to receive assurances over their proposed project and investment.

 Roma will hope the situation is resolved promptly to appease fans who have rallied against the club and its ownership in recent months following a disappointing season and the club’s decision to not renew Roma legend Daniele De Rossi’s contract and in doing so treat him without the decency that fan’s believed a man who had given so much to the club deserved.

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ROME - AS Roma’s aspirations of moving into a new stadium have hit yet another road block as discussions with local government officials about transportation links to its proposed Tor di Valle location have reached an impasse.

 The Giallorossi have been planning the move since 2014 when the club first released its proposals for the Stadio della Roma, a new home which is set to house up to 60,000 fans and have a section specifically designed to house the club’s Ultras.

 Proposals were eventually approved by local authorities in February 2017 after months of protracted negotiations, but the club encountered problems at the start of the planning process and consequently extended their lease at the Stadio Olimpico, a stadium they currently share with arch-rivals Lazio, until 2020.

 However, following recent discussions with Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi it appears as though the club may be forced to extend this lease yet further as the State was unable to guarantee the swift completion of new transport links that would connect the stadium to the centre of the city. Raggi made it clear that the stadium could not open until such links were in place, as current transport links to Tor di Valle would not be able to cope with match-day requirements, however offered no assurances that such links would be completed before the proposed 2020 deadline.

 Raggi’s position has angered many at the club as it was under her insistence, in 2016, that the State took responsibility for the construction of transport links to the stadium. Prior agreements with her predecessor Ignazio Marino had provisionally agreed to allow the necessary public transportation to be built privately. Such an agreement would likely have seen the works completed by 2020.

 As it stands, with no assurances in place, AS Roma’s board face a dilemma as further delays to the opening of the stadium risk financially crippling the club. Construction costs for the Stadio della Roma stand at an estimated 300 million euros, however the total cost for facilities and additional venues such as bars, restaurants, shopping areas, and club training facilities are likely to see the project get closer to the 1-billion-euro mark. Experts have predicted that if delays to the construction transport links run on much further and the club is not able to move in by the 2022-23 season, Roma will likely have to scrap the project entirely. The club are thought to be considering pursuing legal action to receive assurances over their proposed project and investment.

 Roma will hope the situation is resolved promptly to appease fans who have rallied against the club and its ownership in recent months following a disappointing season and the club’s decision to not renew Roma legend Daniele De Rossi’s contract and in doing so treat him without the decency that fan’s believed a man who had given so much to the club deserved.

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