Cafu backs Gasperini's work at Roma, says Champions League race remains open

Claudio Ranieri has accepted a role with the Italian Football Federation, joining the national team setup as president of club Italia and technical director alongside head coach Mancini. The move comes a year after Ranieri turned down the Italy job to remain at Roma, a decision he has since come to regret following his departure from the Giallorossi in 2025. Ranieri managed Roma across three separate spells, most recently in 2024–25, when he guided the club from relegation danger towards Champions League qualification before being dismissed. The Friedkin Group had blocked his appointment to the national team last year, refusing to allow him to work on a dual track. His choice to stay proved costly; relations between Ranieri and coach Gian Piero Gasperini deteriorated from the start, and the federation ultimately moved in another direction. In his new advisory capacity, Ranieri will work alongside Mancini and support Italy's path through the upcoming European Championship in two years and beyond towards the next World Cup. At 74, Ranieri brings 1,361 managerial appointments across his career, including his celebrated Leicester City title triumph. His sole previous experience with a national team came during a brief, unsuccessful spell with Greece from July to November 2014, comprising four matches. Ranieri's primary task will be to consult with domestic club coaches without overstepping, a balance he learned to strike during his Roma tenure.

Nearly two years after his dismissal following a draw against Genoa in 2024, Daniele De Rossi has opened up about the end of his spell as Roma head coach. Speaking to Cronache di Spogliatoio, the former manager described the emotional toll of the decision and his struggle to accept it. De Rossi did not hide his frustration at the time: "When I was sacked by Roma I was furious. I had my 'enemies' and felt defeated in a battle I never had time to fight, but I never wanted to show I was bitter about it. I only did that once, in a press conference at SPAL, and I regretted it. I worked hard on these things." The former captain revealed that derby matches against Lazio were uniquely difficult throughout his career, exerting pressure in a way no other fixture could. "In my career I never suffered any match… except the derbies. Before facing Lazio I would spend three days in the bathroom vomiting, with Dacourt holding my head," he recalled. De Rossi explained his decision to avoid fuelling controversy after his departure, saying his relationship with Roma, though imperfect, did not deserve a bitter ending. "There is a moment and a place for everything: if I had wanted to say something, I should have done it when I was still there," he said.

Daniele De Rossi has given an interview to Cronache di Spogliatoio, with the full version to be released tomorrow at 13:00. The former Roma captain spoke about his dismissal in September 2024, saying: "I was furious. I had my 'enemies' and I felt beaten in a battle I didn't have time to fight. But I never wanted to show I was bitter about it. I only did that once in a press conference at Spal and I regretted it. I've worked hard on those things." De Rossi's tenure at Roma ended after just four matches in 2025, a difficult conclusion to his association with the club where he spent his playing career as a one-club legend. He reflected on the emotional toll of the role, particularly the intensity surrounding matches against Lazio in the Derby della Capitale. He described the psychological weight of derby fixtures, saying he would spend three days beforehand feeling unwell, with teammate Dacourt supporting him through the ordeal. De Rossi expressed regret over how his time at Roma concluded, stating: "My history with Roma wasn't perfect, but it didn't deserve an ending with loose ends."