Roma fined €2,000 for one-minute kickoff delay; Gasperini cautioned

Roma will play their opening Champions League match against Fenerbahce at Istanbul's Sukru Saracoglu stadium without their main sponsor Eurobet.Live on their shirt due to Turkish regulations that prohibit the display of betting and gaming brands on football kits. The club presented their third kit officially on 8 September but will need to modify their primary strip for their European debut in the competition. Turish law prevents Roma from using their standard logo on the front of the jersey, forcing the club to find an alternative solution. Rather than simply removing the sponsor entirely, Roma have chosen to replace Eurobet.Live with a charitable sponsor, transforming a regulatory obligation into an initiative with ethical value. The decision reflects the club's approach to adapting to local requirements while maintaining a symbolic gesture for the match.

Roma defeated Atalanta 2–1 on matchday three of Serie A, with goals from Matías Soulé and Mario Hermoso securing the win in the closing stages. Following the fixture, the Lega Serie A announced disciplinary decisions from the Match Commissioner. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has received his first sanction. Roma were also fined €2,000 by the Match Commissioner "for objective responsibility, having unjustifiably caused a delay of approximately one minute to the start of the first half."

Radio Bruno, marking its 50th anniversary, is expanding into Rome's airwaves on 101.5 FM from Thursday 10 September with dedicated Roma coverage across daily programming and live match broadcasts. The station will air two main Roma-focused shows. *Quelli che la Roma*, presented by Roberta Pedrelli, Luca Ferri and Andrea Verdenelli, runs daily from 9am to noon with three hours of analysis, interviews and weekly segments covering Roma, Roma Femminile and Roma 1927 Futsal. In the afternoons, Monday to Saturday from 4pm to 6pm, *Bar Forza Lupi* returns with its hosts Massimo D'Adamo, Antonella Coricello and Alessandra Fortunati. Fortunati recently received the Microfono d'Oro award for 25 years presenting the show. Radio Bruno will broadcast every Roma fixture across Serie A, Champions League and the Coppa Italia. The programme *Radio Bruno Stadio: la Roma minuto per minuto* provides four hours of coverage per match, including one hour of pre-match build-up with official team sheets, live commentary by Massimo D'Adamo and Mirko Torre with Lorenzo Scattareggia in studio, and extensive post-match coverage featuring analysis, interviews and press conference coverage.

Roma make their Champions League return on Thursday 10 September at 18:45 at Fenerbahce's Sükrü Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul. UEFA has appointed a wholly Spanish refereeing team, with Jesús Gil Manzano as referee, Diego Barbero and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso as assistants, César Soto Grado on VAR, Valentín Gómez as AVAR, and Juan Martínez Munuera as fourth official. Gil Manzano has previously overseen two Roma matches in European competition, with a mixed record. He refereed Roma's 5–3 penalty shootout victory against Feyenoord in the 2023–24 Europa League after a 1–1 draw (goals from Gimenez and Pellegrini), and the 2–1 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 2019–20 Europa League. Fenerbahce enter the match with an unbeaten record under Gil Manzano in European ties. The Turkish side won both previous matches when he has officiated in continental competition, most recently a 4–1 victory over Austria Vienna in the 2022–23 Europa League qualifying round.

Roma's radio stations weighed in on the club's Champions League campaign launch and squad decisions ahead of Thursday's fixture in Istanbul. Roberto Pruzzo told Radio Radio he saw no red flags in the project: "The sensation around Roma is absolutely positive, there seems to be only one path and they are following it. Everyone is behind the manager, and that feels like the most positive signal. There are technical qualities that let the coach make changes when necessary without negative impact. Right now I don't see any downsides. Until the break I expect Roma to physically surprise opponents—I think they've done targeted planning to go 200 kilometres per hour until the break." Staff changes dominated discussion of squad depth. Ilario Di Giovambattista reported that Nahuel Molina would play against Fenerbahce, while Lorenzo Pellegrini's first call-up would come at Torino. Paolo Marcacci anticipated "surgical changes" for Istanbul, potentially including Santiago Castro for Donyell Malen up front. Paolo Cosenza and Piero Torri both attacked the travel ban on Roma province residents, with Torri calling it "totally unconstitutional" and urging the club to take an official stand. "Why can't I go to Torino to watch Roma? What have I done wrong?" Torri asked. "If there is individual responsibility, the state must guarantee me freedom." Alessio Nardo questioned Gasperini's handling of Salah-Eddine, who has rejected all offers with only the Mexican market remaining open. "He's turned everything down and now he's just going to graze at Trigoria with no real ambition until January," Nardo said. "When Salah-Eddine isn't considered and is out of the project, and when Guerreiro—who played for Bayern Munich last season—is immediately discarded, it makes me think the left-back position is a priority for Gasperini. But he doesn't seem to have chased it aggressively on the market. Salah-Eddine played in a World Cup and African Cup of Nations. If Kostas Tsimikas was there last season, maybe he deserved a chance. Clearly Gasperini really hates him." Lorenzo Pes added that Gasperini had made no current reassessment: "He's stuck with the view he had a year ago. Salah-Eddine doesn't have the characteristics Gasperini wants in his wing-backs." Roma's opening Champions League fixture comes Thursday at 18:45 in Istanbul against Fenerbahce. David Rossi noted the absence of Aurélien Guendouzi and flagged environmental difficulty alongside technical challenge. Nando Orsi backed the title ambition, calling the league Roma's "indubitable objective" while viewing Napoli as in a particular moment and Inter focused on Champions League victory.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has recovered from a right thigh rectus femoris injury and will be included in Roma's squad for their Champions League trip to Fenerbahçe, though head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is managing his return cautiously. The midfielder has been sidelined during pre-season and the opening stages of the campaign but has spent the past week training at full intensity with his teammates, absorbing increasingly demanding physical work. His medical clearance comes at a crucial moment as Roma prepare for a congested fixture schedule spanning league and European commitments. Gasperini will have Pellegrini available as a key option from the bench in Istanbul, but the staff intends to handle his reintegration into match action with maximum care. The target date for his actual return to the pitch is next Monday in Roma's Serie A fixture against Torino. The number seven, who recently renewed his contract, is a central weapon in Gasperini's rotation system, offering versatility, playmaking vision and the ability to operate between the lines—assets essential for navigating the dense autumn calendar ahead.