Scandal at Lazio! Maurizio Sarri refuses to take the bench for derby against Roma
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
The upcoming Rome derby between Roma and Lazio is engulfed in a fierce scandal that could lead to unprecedented consequences.
Details: Serie A has scheduled the match for noon on Sunday, aiming to have the final rounds played simultaneously. The situation has been further complicated by the Rome prefecture and the public order committee, who insisted on the early kick-off to avoid clashing with the final of the Rome Masters tennis tournament.
Lazio's head coach Maurizio Sarri was left furious by this decision and responded with open threats.
"If the match is set for Monday evening, I’ll be there. But if they decide to play at noon on Sunday, I won’t be at the stadium. In fact, if I were club president, I wouldn’t put the team on the field at all," declared the fiery Biancocelesti manager.
Sarri stressed that playing at 12:00 at the end of May in Italy is physically impossible for top clubs.
"This isn’t football. We have four or five clubs playing in the Champions League worth 70–80 million euros, and you make them play in the midday heat? That’s madness," the coach added, alluding to the risk of injuries and a drop in entertainment value due to the weather conditions.
Now Serie A’s leadership finds itself at a crossroads: either concede to the enraged coach and change the broadcast schedule, or risk derailing one of the world’s most high-profile derbies.
Reminder: Roma midfielder Paulo Dybala was left out of Argentina’s World Cup squad.
