Italian Coaches' Association visits Roma's training ground to meet Gasperini

A delegation from the Italian Football Coaches Association (AIAC) visited Roma's Trigoria training ground on 24 September to meet head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and his backroom team. The group was led by AIAC president Renzo Ulivieri and secretary general Luca Perdomi. The meeting focused on dialogue and the association's support for coaches and squads working on the pitch daily. The AIAC shared details of the visit across its official social media channels, underlining the association's commitment to fostering connections with coaching staff at Serie A clubs.

Francesco Totti has revealed in his autobiography that he turned down a proposal to take on a role connected to Roma's centenary celebrations. The offer came through intermediaries rather than a direct conversation with the Friedkin Group ownership, whom Totti states he has never met face to face despite years of speculation about a potential return to the club. Totti declined the position, explaining his reasoning without circumvention. "I received only one proposal through intermediaries, and not during a face-to-face with the Friedkin, which never happened, to be the figurehead on the occasion of Roma's centenary. I declined the offer," he said. The centenary could have marked an official reconciliation between Totti and Roma, but under the terms presented, his answer was no. Totti's explanation reveals the type of role he would consider at the club: not a purely symbolic or representative presence, but a position in which he could genuinely influence the club's decisions. "I have never felt comfortable in the role of the decorative figure, who must smile without having a say and nod without being able to decide," he stated. The autobiography makes clear that any future involvement would require meaningful decision-making authority rather than a ceremonial function.

Francesco Totti has disclosed in his book Oltre that he rejected a proposal to return to Roma as an ambassador for the club's centenary celebrations. The offer came through intermediaries rather than a direct approach from the Friedkin Group, and Totti was asked to serve as the public face of the milestone without a decision-making role. Totti explained his reasoning in the memoir: "I was not comfortable in the role of a pretty figurehead who must smile without making an impact and nod without being able to decide." He emphasised that Roma belongs to its supporters while ownership changes hands, and that he deserves respect befitting his status at the club. He also raised these concerns directly with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini during a dinner meeting held some months ago, explaining that the preconditions for such a return were not in place. In the book, Totti writes: "There was never a face-to-face meeting with the Friedkin Group." He added: "I think Roma belongs to the Romanisti, while ownership comes and goes. And then I believe I deserve, at minimum, that respect afforded to someone considered good company for a coffee."