Maurizio Sarri ‘to attend’ Roma derby after noon kick-off row | OneFootball

According to Il Messaggero, Maurizio Sarri will be in the dugout for the Derby della Capitale despite threatening to boycott over a 12:00 CET kick-off. The paper adds that players urged him not to leave them short, with many Lazio fans set to stay away in protest at president Claudio Lotito.

The unusually early start infuriated the Tuscan, not least given rising mid-May temperatures in Rome. He had also voiced displeasure when the season’s first derby was staged at a similar hour in September.

Lega Serie A argued its hand was forced by the Italian Open final at the same sports complex as the Stadio Olimpico. Rome’s authorities sought a Monday switch for public safety, but the league kept this and four other Europe-chasing fixtures on Sunday, with a compromise setting an early slot.

After Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final defeat to Inter Milan, the 67-year-old said that if the game were held on Sunday he would not come and, if he were president, he would not send the team, preferring a one-point deduction. He also accused the league of major scheduling errors, citing the Turin derby during the ATP Finals and now Rome’s during a major tennis event, adding that the Prefect had been clear and nobody apologised.

On Saturday he skipped his pre-match press conference and did not speak to the media, and he is unlikely to do so on Sunday.

Source: The Laziali