Sarri Left Fuming as Unpopular Roma Derby Time Slot Has Been Confirmed | OneFootball

The Lega Serie A confirmed that this weekend’s Derby clash between Roma and Lazio will be played on Sunday’s early kickoff.

Maurizio Sarri’s Concerns Come True

The news has been in the air for quite some time, much to Maurizio Sarri’s dismay. The Biancocelesti head coach considered it an insult for such a historic fixture to be played in this unwanted time slot, especially in May, with the temperatures on the rise. He threatened to skip all media commitments before and after the game.

However, the Lega would argue that their hands were tied due to the circumstances. With Lazio playing against Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday evening, they cannot play again on Saturday.

In normal circumstances, the fixture would be placed on Sunday afternoon, but this slot is also unavailable as the Italian Open (a global tennis tournament) is taking place at the same sports complex as the Stadio Olimpico, and the final will be played in the afternoon.

Roma vs Lazio Given Unwanted Time Slot

Some had suggested moving the fixture to Monday, but the clubs and organizers feared this could hurt TV ratings as well as stadium attendance. While confirming the time slot to Gr Parlamento-Radio Rai (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Lega Serie A president Luigi De Siervo explained that an evening slot was never an option due to public safety concerns stemming from previous episodes involving crowd trouble.

Juventus, Milan & Napoli Will Also Play Early on Sunday

Because of the situation in Rome, not only has the Derby della Capitale been placed in this unwanted time slot, but four other Serie A fixtures, as the rules require that clubs fighting for the same objective must play simultaneously in the final two rounds of the campaign.

Since Roma is involved in a five-team battle for European spots, Napoli-Pisa, Juventus-Fiorentina, Genoa-Milan, and Como-Parma will also be played at Sunday’s early kickoff.