During AS Roma’s Serie A match against Udinese on Sunday, defender Evan Ndicka collapsed on the field during the second half, prompting the suspension of the match.
With the score tied at 1-1, the Ivory Coast international fell backwards onto the pitch with 18 minutes remaining.
Despite being conscious, Ndicka appeared to be in pain, clutching his chest with his right hand as the medical team quickly approached him.
He was subsequently stretchered off the field, though he managed to give a reassuring thumbs-up gesture before leaving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_nATH5liNo
“Following the on-field medical emergency involving Evan Ndicka, the match between Udinese and Roma has been suspended,” Roma said on social media platform X. “The player is conscious and has been taken to the hospital for further checks.”
Following a significant delay, the match was suspended, and the players exited the field. Reports from Italian media indicated that the tests conducted on Ndicka at the hospital confirmed that he did not suffer a heart attack.
The 24-year-old will remain hospitalised overnight for observation.
“The squad went to visitNdicka at the hospital. Evan is feeling better and is in good spirits,” the club said on X. “He will remain in the hospital for further observations. Forza Evan!”
Two Brighton supporters are hospitalised in Rome after being stabbed on the eve of their team’s Europa League match against AS Roma.
Reports from Italian media indicate that a restaurant employee alerted police shortly after midnight on Wednesday, reporting that two fans had entered seeking assistance after being stabbed nearby.
One of the fans sustained three wounds to his left thigh, while the other was stabbed in the right thigh.
Additionally, they reportedly had a backpack stolen, containing a wallet and documents.
The injured fans, aged 28 and 29, were transported to different hospitals in Rome for treatment.
AS Roma is set to host Brighton in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday.
Barcelona is eyeing AS Roma’s Paulo Dybala as a potential transfer target, as reported by Diario Sport.
The 30-year-old forward has been in stellar form this season, notching up 13 goals and seven assists in 26 appearances across various competitions.
Despite his success at Roma, Dybala has reportedly been offered to Barcelona.
Dybala, who has a release clause of €12 million for clubs outside Italy, is interested in a move to Spain, although there have been offers from the Premier League as well.
Barcelona has long admired Dybala, and his relatively affordable release clause, along with his more modest wages compared to his time at Juventus, make him an appealing prospect.
However, signing Dybala could potentially impact the future of João Félix, who is currently on loan at Barcelona from Atlético Madrid.
In addition to Barcelona’s interest, West Ham United has also shown interest in Dybala, while Atletico Madrid has been informed of the situation but has yet to make a final decision.
Reports suggest thatRoma is eager to extend Dybala’s contract, and while he is open to their offer, his preference would be to join Barcelona if they pursue him.
AS Roma has officially announced the departure of José Mourinho and his coaching staff from the club, effective immediately.
Mourinho, who was unveiled as the Giallorossi’s 60th coach in May 2021, successfully guided the team to victory in the Conference League in Tirana on May 25th, 2022, and to the Europa League final in Budapest last season.
“We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club,” said Dan and Ryan Friedkin.
“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.
“We wish José and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Further updates on the new First Team coaching staff will follow imminently.
Roma’s manager, Jose Mourinho, expressed frustration over the financial constraints binding the Serie A club, emphasising that their “reality is different” compared to clubs like Manchester City.
Despite Roma’s significant spending of over €100 million ($109 million) in Mourinho’s inaugural season, the last two seasons have seen minimal transfers totaling €9.5 million.
This conservative approach aligns with UEFA’s financial fair play regulations, leading to the sale of first-choice center-back Roger Ibañez to Al Ahli in August for financial stability.
Notably, marquee signings Romelu Lukaku and Renato Sanches were secured through loan deals this summer.
Compounded by the challenges of long-term injuries to striker Tammy Abraham and defender Chris Smalling, Roma currently find themselves struggling in fourth place in Serie A.
The imminent departure of center-back Evan Ndicka for the African Cup of Nations in January further exacerbates the defensive concerns.
Despite the desire to strengthen the squad in the upcoming January transfer window, Mourinho acknowledges the hurdles Roma faces due to financial limitations.
“Not that I’m jealous, but Man City paid €80 million ($87 million) for [Kalvin] Phillips and now Pep [Guardiola] has said it would be better for him to leave in January. So he’ll leave and they’ll get someone else,”Mourinho said in his news conference ahead of Roma’s Europa League clash with Sheriff on Thursday.
“Our reality is very different. We’d like one, two, three or four new players. Tiago [Pinto] too. And the owners, too. We all want to try and improve the team to make us better for the second half of the season.
“However, it’s not easy for us to do that. I’ll be honest; if we bring in a defender in January, I’ll already be happy. But if you ask me if I’d like more than that, of course I’d like more. But it’s not possible. They’re working to try to give me options, to give me a defender.”
In the recent 3-2 victory over Red Star Belgrade, Phillips, acquired by City for €49 million in 2022, secured only his second start for the club this season and impressively scored a penalty. Sources revealed to ESPN last month that Newcastle United are considering a move for the talented England midfielder.
Heading into Thursday’s encounter against Sheriff, Roma hold the second position in theirEuropa League group, with qualification for the next round already assured. Their latest Serie A fixture saw them secure a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina last Sunday.
Serie A has imposed a €10,000 fine on AS Roma for their deliberate delay tactics involving ball boys during Sunday’s league match against Monza.
Under the management of Jose Mourinho, Roma clinched a thrilling 1-0 victory over Monza, with Stephan El Shaarawy netting the decisive goal in the 90th minute.
Italy’s sports judge determined that Roma’s ball boys intentionally slowed down the process of returning the ball after the home team had scored the winning goal.
A league statement read: “Roma, by way of objective responsibility, to have its own ball boys after the goal has been scored, systematically slowed down the regular restart of the game, forcing the referee to extend injury time by two minutes.”
Mourinho also received a one-game touchline ban following his dismissal near the end of the match, during which he mocked Monza’s bench by gesturing as if crying.
Due to the red card, Mourinho will not be able to be on the bench for Roma’s upcoming league fixture, which will be an away game against his former club, Inter Milan.
It’s worth noting that the Portuguese manager has previously expressed his strong opinions about the role of ball boys.
During his tenure at Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho commended a club ball boy for swiftly delivering the ball, which led to a quick throw-in by Sèrge Aurier, ultimately sparking an equalising goal in a 4-2 Champions League victory over Olympiakos.
“I love intelligent ball boys, like I was,” Mourinho said at the time. “I was a brilliant ball boy as a kid. This kid today was brilliant. He reads the game, understands the game and made an important assist.”
Nevertheless, the former Manchester United manager expressed his discontent with the ball boys at Old Trafford for their sluggish response in returning the ball. In response, he decided to replace them with academy players.
Back in 2014, during his tenure at Chelsea, Mourinho also voiced his frustration with Newcastle United’s ball boys, accusing them of time-wasting during his team’s 2-1 defeat at St. James Park.
Roma manager Jose Mourinho is of the opinion that he is currently facing one of his most challenging starts to a season.
After a 4-1 defeat against Genoa on Thursday night, Roma finds themselves in 16th place in Serie A after six matches.
Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, considers this poor performance in the opening weeks as a low point in his career.
He said: “It’s my worst start to a season as a coach.
“However, I don’t think that Roma had ever appeared in two consecutive European finals [before last season].
“I might show my feelings behind the scenes because it really affects me emotionally, especially given my relationship with the fans.”
Roma’s upcoming fixture is a home match against Frosinone on Sunday evening, and Mourinho is urging his team to maintain composure as they earnestly seek to regain their form.
He added: “This is the squad we have, for better and worse.
“We have to move forward — there’s no time to lament.
“We’ll be working hard from tomorrow ahead of our next game.
“Three points will be at stake — it’s not like we’re in six-pointer territory already — but it’s a huge game for us now.”
The team that reached the Europa League final last season has managed to secure just two victories in all competitions this season, with a solitary clean sheet to their name.
Following Sunday’s league match, they will have a home fixture against Swiss side Servette in the Europa League, followed by an away trip to face Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari just before the international break.
An encouraging aspect has been the performance of loanee Romelu Lukaku, who has found the net three times in his last four outings.
AS Roma is continuing to contemplate the possibility of signing Spain international Alvaro Morata following discussions with the player’s agents, according to Corriere dello Sport.
Jose Mourinho’s club had been linked with the 30-year-old over the summer, but Morata had expressed his desire to remain with Atletico Madrid.
Roma’s sporting director, Tiago Pinto, held talks with the player’s representatives to explore the financial feasibility of a potential transfer.
It’s worth noting that Mourinho previously managed Morata during his tenure at Real Madrid.
Morata said of Mourinho in the summer: “He’s a great coach; he was the one who gave me the opportunity to play my first professional match. I’m very grateful to him and Iwish him the best.”
As AS Roma wraps up their pre-season camp in Portugal,Jose Mourinho is using this opportunity to convey a message to the club’s board. The upcoming season is set to begin on August 20.
Despite facing speculations about his future and receiving tempting offers from prominent European clubs, as well as a lucrative proposal from Saudi Arabia, Mourinho has chosen to stay at the helm.
This decision comes after he led the team to a sixth-place finish in Serie A last season and guided them to the UEFA Europa League final.
Notably, this marked their second European final appearance in two years, with a previous victory in the UEFA Europa Conference League a year earlier. Mourinho is committed to fulfilling the final year of his contract with the club.
Mourinho’s message to Roma board
With the Serie A season commencing in less than three weeks, AS Roma faces a notable void in their lineup as they are yet to secure a new striker.
This situation arises from the extended absence of Tammy Abraham due to injury, sustained on the final day of the previous season.
Moreover, Andrea Belotti’s future remains uncertain, given his struggles to find the net in the league last season.
Jose Mourinho addressing his players after a pre-season training session in Portugal. Photo by Fabio Rossi.
Source: Getty Images
In preparation for their pre-season match against SC Farense in Portugal, manager Jose Mourinho took charge of the team’s final training session.
He shared a snapshot of the group on his Instagram page, highlighting their progress.
Notably, Football Italia observed a subtle gapbetween Mourinho and one of his assistants, which symbolically represents the vacant striker position within the team.
Rumors have linked Roma with potential signings like Alvaro Morata and Gianluca Scamacca.
However, it appears that Scamacca might be on his way to rivals Inter Milan, as per reports from Roma Press. Additionally, the prospect of acquiring Morata seems financially prohibitive.
Romeloves Jose Mourinho for what he has done for AS Roma since taking over the club in 2021, and it’s not just football fans who adore him.
Before the postponed Euro 2020 in 2021, he unexpectedly assumed the managerial role of the Italian capital club and quickly won the city over.
In his debut season, he assisted Roma in ending their 14-year title drought since the 2008 Coppa Italia by helping them win the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League, which they did by defeating Feyenoord of the Netherlands in the final.
Giallorossi reached their second European final under the former Chelsea manager after beating Bayer Leverkusen to reach the Europa League final.
Mourinho receives standing ovation
Mourinho is not only loved by the football fans in Rome; he is also loved by non-football fans in the ancient city, due to his achievements in Italian football.
He was in attendance at the Italian Open final on Sunday to watch Daniil Medvedev beat Holger Rune, and was acknowledged by the fans, who gave him a standing ovation.
The former Real Madrid boss was in the company of his former player Marco Materazzi at the event, and was also in attendance a week earlier to watch Serbian star Novak Djokovic in the second round.
According to Daily Express, former world number 1 Boris Becker was also in attendance, five months after he was deported to Germany after time in UK custody.
Roma players relive Leverkusen game
Sports Brief reported that Mourinho relieved the Leverkusen game with his players at a dinner, after Roma progressed to the UEFA Europa League final on Thursday.
The Special one filmed his players having a meal and watching themselves. He uploaded the video to Instagram and labelled the players ‘warriors’ after a hard-fought game.
Jose Mourinho, the manager of AS Roma, has addressed recent reports linking him to a potential move to Ligue 1 powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain in the upcoming summer transfer window.
While PSG is on the verge of securing their 11th French league title under current coach Christophe Galtier, his position is reportedly in doubt following the team’s underwhelming exit from the Champions League in the round-of-16 stage, extending their wait for a coveted European trophy.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports reports that Mourinho has been touted as the potential replacement for Galtier.
The veteran Portuguese tactician has been contacted by PSG’s top hierarchy owing to his superior man-management skill and ability to handle players with big egos.
Reacting to the reports, Jose, who is in the final year of his contract with Roma, appeared to laugh at the reports linking him to PSG.
“If they called, they didn’t find me, I’ve never spoken to them,” Mourinho told Sky Italia via GOAL.
Meanwhile, the 60-year-old is preparing his Roma side for their Europa League semi-final assignment against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, May 11.
Roma’s top-four hopes suffered a massive blow after their 2-0 loss to Inter Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, a game played with a depleted squad due to injuries.
The team were 1-0 down at half-time. The Special One gave an inspiring team talk to the young players at half-time, which spurred them to victory.
PSG contact Mourinho
Sports Brief previously reported that Jose Mourinho is a proven winner and it is no surprise the veteran Portuguese manager is now on the radar of Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG are desperate to win the UEFA Champions League and the club’s latest setback in the last-16 first-leg tie against Bayern Munich has got the French club looking for options.
PSG’s sporting director Luís Campos has contacted his fellow countryman and AS Roma head coach Mourinho as they look to replace Christophe Galtier.
After two league defeats to Sassuolo and a derby defeat to Lazio, AS Roma under Jose Mourinho’sleadership defeated Sampdoria 3-0 at the weekend.
The Italian capital club’s victory brought them closer to the top four thanks to goals from Stephan El Shaarawy, Paulo Dybala, and Georgino Wijnaldum.
There was an ugly incident during the game. The visiting team went down to 10 men after Colombian midfielder Jeison Murillo was shown a red card, and head coach Dejan Stankovic reacted furiously.
Racist chants from Roma fans met his reaction.
According to Football Italia, Mourinho gestured to the fans to stop the chants and spoke on the incident in defence of his former player after the game.
Roma fined for racist chant
Jose Mourinho’s intervention during the game was well acknowledged by an Italian sporting judge, who decided on the incident and was lenient on the club.
“Roma have been fined €8,000 following insulting chants towards the opposing coach by the entirety of supporters in Curva Sud.
The sanction is mitigated because chants were not repeated after the active intervention of their coach,” the judge said in a statement via Tutto Mercato.
Speaking after the game, the Special One expressed disappointment at the fans. He claimed to have grown a thick skin against such behaviours andurged Stankovic to do the same.
The Serbian thanked his former boss and claimed not to have paid attention, and further expressed pride in his gypsy roots.
Lukaku sent off for celebration
In another development, there was an incident of racism in Italian football last night in the Coppa Italia game between Juventus and Inter Milan.
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku endured a difficult evening from the Old Lady fans before he scored from the spot in the closing stages to finish the game levels.
Sports Brief reported that Lukaku was sent off for excessive celebration after doing shush to the fans who had abused him throughout the game, much to the disappointment of many football viewers.
Lazio has declared that some of its supporters who made fascist salutes against AS Roma on Sunday have been permanently barred.
Several Lazio supporters were observed giving fascist salutes and chanting anti-semitic phrases during the game, which Lazio won courtesy to a single Mattia Zaccagni goal.
In viral video, a fan was also seen sporting a Lazio shirt with the words “Hitlerson” and the number 88 on the back.
Lazio claimed in a statement issued on March 22 that they had been working with law enforcement and had been able to identify those responsible. Three supporters received lifetime bans as a result.
The statement read; “In the course of Sunday’s match, Lazio v Roma, and in the days immediately following, three people were identified who were the protagonists of behaviour that had nothing to do with supporting and which manifested forms of discrimination and anti-Semitism.
“Thanks to the collaboration between Società Sportiva Lazio, its own security service, stewards and the police, also through the use of the surveillance cameras at the Stadio Olimpico, it was possible to quickly identify a person wearing the shirt with the number 88 bearing the inscription “Hitlerson” and two others who ostentatiously made the gesture of the Roman salute”.
It is not the first time anti-semitism has dominated the Rome derby, with references to Jewish prisoner of war Anne Frank often abhorrently referenced by Lazio supporters to their Roma neighbours.
Ghana international Felix Afena-Gyan has scored his first goal for Cremonese in the Coppa Italia.
The 19-year-old who joined the club in the summer window from AS Roma climbed off the bench to announce his presence in the game.
Afena-Gyan was introduced in the 68th minute mark replacing Tommaso Milanese when his outfit defeated Modena 4-2 on home turf after extra time in the Coppa Italia Round 32 to progress.
Cremonese opened the scoring through David Okereke in the 77th minute before the Ghanaian attacker added the side second goal in the 84th minute mark.
But Davide Diaw hit a brace in the 89th and 90th minute to level pegging, forcing the game to extra-time.
Cremonese proved to be tough for Modena as Leonardo Sernicola scored brace in extra-time to make it 4-2 at the end of the game.
Since joining the club, Afena-Gyan has scored one goal in four appearances.
Striker Felix Afena-Gyan of the Black Stars has informed AS Roma of his impending exit.
Felix Afena-Gyan thanked Alberto de Rossi, manager of Roma’s Primavera team, and AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho at the Stadium Olympico for guiding him through his development.
Afena-Gyan didn’t announce his next destination but it was earlier reported that AS Roma has agreed on a deal with Serie A newcomers, US Cremonese for a fee worth €8 million.
“I’m grateful to AS Roma, the technical team, and staff for the precious opportunity and support I have enjoyed in the last one and half years. My uttermost love to the manager Jose Mourinho. The last seven months with you have totally changed my life. Thank you for believing in me.”
“To my former teammates and the Roma fans, I cherished the wonderful moments we shared together. Thank you Mr. Alberto De Rossi for the role you played in my growth. It was a huge honour to put on the Roma shirt,” the statement from Felix Afena-Gyan read.
Felix Afena-Gyan scored twice for AS Roma in 17 appearances since making his senior debut in 2020.
Ghana international Felix Afena-Gyan will stay at AS Roma ahead of the new season, Footballghana.com can report.
The Black Stars striker was linked with a move away from the Giallorossi this summer due to lack of playing time.
But it is said Roma have decided to keep the Ghanaian attacker ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Reacting to his stay, Afena-Gyan indicated he still has a lot to learn under Jose Mourinho whom he sees as a father.
“I’m still young, I still have many years of career ahead, I still have a lot to learn, especially from the coach. it’s not a problem for me, I’m sure my time will come and I’ll have to take the opportunity. Mourinho? For me he’s like a father and parents have to be obeyed. Dybala? Surely it’s a great pleasure for me to share the locker room with a big player like Dybala, it’s a pleasure to be able to talk to him and train with himâ€.
The 18-year-old burst onto the scene after making his AS Roma senior debut in a game against Cagliari in November. He followed up with a man of the match display, after netting a brace against Genoa.
The young striker scored two goals in 17 Serie A appearances last season and won the UEFA Conference League title with AS Roma.
Afena-Gyan made his Black Stars debut in the 2022 FIFA World Cup playoffs against Nigeria at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
He scored his first-ever Ghana goal last week in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar.
