News Focus
- The Rome Derby between AS Roma and SS Lazio will now kick off at midday on Sunday after days of uncertainty.
- Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri has threatened to boycott the match in protest at the scheduling decision.
- Local safety officials had wanted the game moved to Monday evening due to a clash with the Italian Open tennis final.
- Sarri has accused Serie A organisers of making repeated mistakes with fixture planning.
- AS Roma support the Sunday slot, while Lazio have remained silent on the matter.
AS Roma and SS Lazio are set to face each other this Sunday at noon local time. However, Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri might not appear at the Stadio Olimpico.
The kick-off time for this crucial derby has caused major confusion since Monday. That is when Italy’s top flight announced that five key matches would start at the same time. These games involve teams fighting for Champions League places.
At first, officials planned for Sunday at 12:30pm Central European Time. But local authorities blocked this. They ordered the match move to Monday night. Their reason was public safety. The timing was too close to the Italian Open men’s singles tennis final.
After four days of emergency meetings and appeals, the league confirmed a new time. The Rome Derby will now start on Sunday at 11:00am UK time. This is 12:00pm in Italy.
Sarri is now considering his next move. He made a strong statement after losing the Coppa Italia final to Inter Milan on Wednesday. The coach said he would refuse to attend a Sunday midday fixture.
“I think I will come on Monday,” Sarri told Sport Mediaset. “But if they force us to play the derby at midday on Sunday, I will not come. They can play without me.”
The former Chelsea manager attacked the league’s organisers. He accused them of serious errors. He pointed out that they scheduled the Turin Derby during the ATP tennis finals in Turin. Now they have done the same with the Rome Derby during the Italian Open.
“These are their mistakes,” Sarri said. “I agree with the local authorities. I hope we play on Monday. If I were Lazio’s president, I would not even bring the team on Sunday.”
He added that point penalties would not change his mind. “They make incredible errors but nobody says sorry. If I made three or four mistakes daily, I would lose my job. You cannot ask five teams to play at midday when €90 million is at stake. This is not football.”
Meanwhile, AS Roma have confirmed they want the game on Sunday. SS Lazio have stayed quiet about the situation.