When the Friedkin Group bought Roma in 2020, they didn’t shy away from bold statements of intent.
In the press release announcing the change of ownership, CEO Dan Friedkin said: “As one fan wrote recently, ‘Take our iconic club and make it one of the greatest names in world football’. We intend to do just that.”
However, four years later, one of Italy’s biggest and best-supported clubs is yet to qualify for the Champions League under their American owners. And in the last week, the sacking of club legend Daniele De Rossi has sparked by far the loudest fan protests of their tenure.
Up until this year, the Friedkins’ ownership was a relatively quiet affair, with fighter jet-flying billionaire Dan and his son Ryan running the show away from the public eye.
But the tranquillity has now been shattered. De Rossi’s sacking – much like Jose Mourinho’s in January – came as a shock. The Friedkins showed their ruthless streak by dispatching a hugely popular figure for the second time in eight months.
This time was different, though. Despite his unimpressive managerial CV, the choice of Roma talisman De Rossi as Mourinho’s replacement in January ensured the fans would back the new manager without hesitation.
But the decision to hand De Rossi a three-year contract in June and then sack him after just four games, bringing in former Torino boss Ivan Juric, caught most people by surprise.
Former Roma manager Claudio Ranieri was stunned. “It should have been a long-term project,” he said.
Another former employee, ex-sporting director Walter Sabatini, took a swipe at the owners by saying: “Somebody is living in a delirium of omnipotence.”
But nobody was angry more than the fans. Former French Open champion and Romanista Adriano Panatta fumed against a “disgusting” call: “He is a son of Rome, an extraordinary guy, and he was fired after four games by people who have little to do with Roma.”
Things took an ugly turn when CEO Lina Souloukou resigned before Sunday’s match against Udinese after reportedly receiving police protection amid threats and insults.
The game itself ended a run of 58 consecutive sell-outs. The Curva Sud was left empty for the first 30 minutes, while banners were unfurled in support of De Rossi and criticising the owners: “You don’t respect our values and our talisman.”
Roma went on to win 3-0, their first victory of the season, but it did little to change the mood.
For all the current chaos, things started very well for the Friedkins. Their appointment of Mourinho in 2021 led to an upsurge in optimism and ticket sales, and the Portuguese boss’s popularity skyrocketed when he led the Giallorossi to their first trophy in 14 years in his debut season.
It might have been in the Conference League, not the Champions League, but the title sparked scenes of celebration the likes of which the Eternal City had not seen since Roma’s last Serie A win in 2000-01, as tens of thousands of euphoric fans flooded the streets.
The blockbuster signing of Paulo Dybala a year later, and Roma’s subsequent run to the Europa League final, deepened conviction that the club was on the right path.
But for all Roma’s European exploits, the Friedkins were not getting bang for their buck. Despite their heavy investment in the club, Mourinho was sacked midway through a mood-dampening season that ended with a third consecutive sixth-place finish.
It meant the wait for Champions League football went on, as Bologna qualified to become the seventh Italian club to reach Europe’s top competition since Roma last graced it in 2018-19.
That is despite some serious backing from the Americans. Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the Friedkins had invested 858 million euros in the club by September 2023, and that figure is now around one billion euros. They haven’t been afraid to shake things up behind the scenes either, with a string of directorial changes taking place.
However, the current sensation is that the Giallorossi under the Friedkins are no closer to achieving their stated aim of becoming “one of the greatest names in world football.”
“One billion [spent], just to always start again from zero,” read one Corriere dello Sport headline on Monday.
For their part, the owners remain confident and optimistic about the future.
They are continuing to pursue the development of a new Roma stadium – a long-running saga that has been beset by issues and delays – and they are bullish that the purchase of Everton will not have a detrimental effect.
“Roma remains at the heart of our football ambitions,” they said in a club statement.
“Rest assured, our commitment of time, resources, and energy to Roma will not be diminished. Our goal is clear – to see Roma consistently compete at the highest levels of European football.”
The objective sounds awfully familiar. And after a tumultuous 2024, the Friedkins now face an uphill battle to convince the Roma faithful that they can deliver it.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/fUSTZPX
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