Roma records zero incidents during record sporting season as zero tolerance policing pays off

Andy Diaz, the Cuban triple jumper competing for Italy, leapt 18.15m on Saturday evening in Birmingham to claim the European Athletics Championships gold medal and move fourth on the all-time list. The jump falls 14 centimetres short of Jonathan Edwards's world record of 18.29m, set in 1995. Diaz, 30, said in the mixed zone: "Sto arrivando, Jonathan. Se prima dubitavi, ora non dubiti più" (I'm coming, Jonathan. If you doubted before, you don't now). He acknowledged his technique differs from Edwards: "Quello che faceva Edwards era bellissimo. Non si vedeva allo stacco, era lineare nel suo movimento quasi unico e senza perdere velocità. Io rimbalzo troppo, troppo da cubano" (What Edwards did was beautiful. You couldn't see the takeoff, his movement was linear, almost unique, without losing speed. I bounce too much, too Cuban). Diaz has built a new life in Italy since gaining citizenship, working with coach Fabrizio Donato, whom he first met at the 2018 indoor world championships in Birmingham. He won bronze at the Paris Olympics, a European indoor title, two world indoor gold medals, and now this European outdoor gold. Diaz was promised a showdown with rival Pichardo at the Lausanne meeting on August 21. The athlete and his mother and grandmother run a fishery in Rome; it is closed for holidays until August 28. He plans to pursue victories at the Lausanne meeting and the Diamond League finals, though he noted that triple jump inexplicably does not feature in the Ultimate Championship in Budapest that will close the season.

Roma have renewed their pursuit of Rodrigo Mora and significantly improved their offer after two days of negotiations, with the Portuguese club poised to receive €25 million upfront plus a 50% sell-on clause on any future transfer. Director D'Amico and head coach Gasperini are pressing to fill a vacancy at left-winger, a position Roma have lacked for more than a year. Mora remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes in Rio Ave's match yesterday evening and is now within touching distance of joining the club. The latest contacts between Roma and Rio Ave have been positive, according to Fabrizio Romano. Roma's transfer activity continues through the August recess, underlining the urgency placed on securing a wide player. The structure of the deal—€25 million immediate payment with half of any future sale retained by Rio Ave—reflects the clubs' progress towards an agreement after the recent stalemate.

Arsenal have left Gabriel Martinelli out of their Community Shield squad to face Manchester City today, signalling the club's willingness to offload the 25-year-old Brazilian forward. Roma have identified Martinelli as a potential target after he fell out of favour at the Emirates Stadium last season, though he has already rejected an approach from Galatasaray in favour of remaining in Europe's top five leagues. Gian Piero Gasperini is seeking to bolster Roma's attacking options following the club's return to the Champions League for the first time since 2018–19. Roma have already missed out on Crysencio Summerville, who joined Al-Hilal, while their pursuit of Strasbourg's Diego Moreira remains complicated. Martinelli's availability is being considered as an alternative, though the move carries significant uncertainty given that Matías Soulé could leave the Stadio Olimpico. Despite losing his starting position at Arsenal, Martinelli would represent a major signing for Roma, bringing Premier League experience and proven goalscoring ability. However, any deal would require substantial investment. Martinelli's contract expires next summer, but it may take up to €40 million to complete the transfer. Arteta's decision to exclude him from today's squad suggests Arsenal are prepared to negotiate his departure.