Ostiamare secures Serie C promotion; De Rossi emotional in interview

Ostiamare celebrated their promotion to Serie C with the presence of Daniele De Rossi, the club's president. Fans of the Ostia-based side expressed their enthusiasm for De Rossi's leadership, with chants of support during the festivities marking the team's advancement. De Rossi, the former AS Roma manager and club legend who played his entire career at the Giallorossi, has taken on a role outside of Roma following his dismissal as head coach in 2025. His involvement with Ostiamare represents a new chapter for the ex-defender, who remains a significant figure in Roman football circles.

Roma's focus includes contract renewal discussions with three key squad players: Lorenzo Pellegrini, Gianluca Mancini, and Bryan Cristante. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's role as a stabilizing presence is viewed as potentially instrumental in securing these renewals. Simultaneously, the club remains active in the transfer market, with Roma maintaining interest in signing Julian Brandt. The timing of these renewals coincides with Gasperini's appointment, suggesting his leadership could be central to retaining core squad members during a transitional period for the club.

Inter president Beppe Marotta has addressed the ongoing refereeing scandal involving Italian football's match-day designator Gianluca Rocchi, who is under investigation for alleged sports fraud. The scandal centres on accusations that certain referees were assigned to matches in a way that favoured Inter. Marotta firmly rejected these claims, stating: "We are surprised by these statements. We do not have referees we prefer or do not prefer. Inter has always operated with maximum correctness and this must be clear." Marotta's comments come as the refereeing controversy affects multiple Serie A clubs. In defending Inter's position, he broadened the discussion to include past decisions against his club, specifically referencing a decision involving Roma. He noted that last season Inter had faced several adverse refereeing decisions that were later acknowledged by the referees' governing body. He cited the example of a penalty not awarded in the Inter-Roma match as a notable instance of a controversial decision in Roma's favour, suggesting Inter has faced refereeing injustices rather than benefited from them. Marotta concluded by reiterating that Inter has no involvement in the ongoing investigation: "We read everything in the newspapers. We have no record of any Inter registered personnel being involved, and we are absolutely calm." He maintained a firm stance on the club's integrity: "Inter is unrelated to this matter and always will be."