Adani slams Allegri's comments on Roma and calls for an apology

Massimiliano Allegri's post-match accusation that Roma were handed Champions League qualification after the Napoli-Roma game has drawn an angry response from the Giallorossi, and Corriere della Sera reports that the figures from last season refute the claim. Allegri said: "They were handed the Champions League on a plate and I paid for it." The analysis says Milan's failure to qualify for Europe was not caused by alleged refereeing favours for the capital side, but by the rossoneri's poor form at the decisive stage of the campaign. Five matchdays from the end of last season, Milan led Roma by eight points. A vertical collapse over their final ten games, with six defeats, three wins and one draw for an average of 1.0 points per match, cost them the target. In their last four home games at San Siro, Milan took just one point from a possible twelve. A draw in the final round against already-safe Cagliari would have been enough for fourth place, but the home defeat allowed Como to overtake them at the death. The slump prompted Milan's ownership to sack Allegri at the end of the season. The data also undermine his defence: across his last 18 Serie A matches in charge across both spells, Allegri averaged 1.16 points per game, with just four wins and ten defeats in total. For Roma, the row is a reminder of how closely the race for Champions League places was fought last season, when they finished third in Serie A and secured their place in this season's competition. The club's response shows it is unwilling to let the accusation pass without challenge.

A remark reportedly attributed to Massimiliano Allegri after Napoli-Roma has sparked controversy. Allegri is said to have commented: "Last year they put the Champions League in Roma's pocket, they are always them." The words reportedly irritated the Giallorossi club, and the club now expects a possible investigation by the Procura Federale. Lele Adani criticised the comment strongly on the Domenica Sportiva programme. "If this is verified, I hope Allegri apologises. It would be a pathetic and disrespectful allusion for Roma, for Gasperini and for football." The episode comes as Roma look to move on from a difficult weekend against Napoli. Mile Svilar will return to the capital on Wednesday after completing his rehabilitation in Belgium from a foot fracture. Once back at Trigoria, the goalkeeper will undergo further checks. Staff hope to speed up his recovery and make him available to Gian Piero Gasperini again before the mid-November international break, according to Corriere della Sera.

Roma have reacted angrily to remarks by Massimiliano Allegri that appeared to question how the club secured its place in the Champions League. The comments were made in the tunnel at the Diego Maradona after Saturday's 3-3 draw, and they have not gone down well at Trigoria, where the club sees them as an insinuation of favourable treatment. Roma are determined that nobody taints their late-season charge last year, which ended with a return to the Champions League after seven years. Even a veiled allusion is unwelcome. Gian Piero Gasperini's side won six matches and drew one after their defeat at Inter, overtaking Allegri's Milan along the way. Milan, however, lost their final game 2-1 at home to Cagliari, which cost them the Champions League place. Allegri, furious after being sent off, was reportedly referring to alleged refereeing favours for Roma. Gasperini was also upset by the comments. After the match, Allegri spoke out again against the refereeing, in the dressing room, with his words overheard by federal inspectors. Roma's remarks at the Maradona came in the tunnel between a television interview and the press conference. Allegri said: "L'anno scorso gli hanno messo la Champions in tasca. Sempre loro..." ("Last year they put the Champions League in their pocket. Always them..."). Sporting judge Gerardo Mastrandrea was due to announce his decisions today. Once he has made them known, federal prosecutor Giuseppe Chiné will decide whether to open an independent investigation into the other remarks.