AS Roma CEO Resigns Amid Fan Fury Over Manager Sacking

AS Roma announced on Sunday that the Serie A team’s CEO, Lina Souloukou, has resigned in the aftermath of the firing of coach and club icon Daniele De Rossi, which has enraged supporters.

Greek Souloukou, who formerly served as CEO of Olympiacos, has departed from Roma after just over a year in her position, amid open discontent among fans regarding De Rossi’s dismissal.

“AS Roma announces today that CEO Lina Souloukou has stepped down from her role,” said Roma in a short statement.

“We thank Lina for her dedicated service during a critical period for the club and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

Souloukou has become the target of Roma fans’ anger following the unexpected dismissal of De Rossi on Wednesday, which was attributed to a slow start to the season and a reportedly bad relationship with the club hierarchy.

Italian media reported that Souloukou and her children had been placed under police protection after threats, while some fans put up a banner outside Roma’s Trigoria training ground describing her as “evil”.

De Rossi is loved by Roma fans as a local boy turned World Cup winner who played almost his entire career for his hometown club.

Anger over his sacking was intensified by the almost immediate hiring of Ivan Juric, a coach who has managed Serie A’s lesser lights and seen as an uninspiring replacement for De Rossi.

Juric takes charge of his first match on Sunday against Udinese, as some dedicated fans have declared their intention to leave their section of the Stadio Olimpico empty for the first 30 minutes in protest.

Roma are yet to win this season and currently sit 17th in Serie A, only above Bologna and the relegation zone on goal difference.