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Serie A president Simonelli defends derby scheduling decision
·19 May 2026·156d ago

Serie A president Simonelli defends derby scheduling decision

Source: Roma News

Ezio Simonelli, president of Serie A, has defended the scheduling of last Sunday's Derby della Capitale between Roma and Lazio, insisting there was no organisational error despite the fixture taking place hours before a tennis final in Rome. Simonelli told Corriere della Sera that the two events coexisted without issue, with the tennis final scheduled for 17:00. He rejected criticism over the decision to pursue a legal challenge (TAR) against the Rome prefect's initial order to postpone the derby to 20:45 on Monday and move four other Champions League contenders' matches to the same evening, which would have forced around 300,000 supporters to travel on a weekday.

Simonelli argued that rescheduling would have caused "sporting, social and economic damage" to Roma and Lazio supporters. He highlighted the complexity of assembling Serie A's calendar, pointing to future clashes such as the Six Nations on 13 March 2027 followed by the Rome Marathon a day later, with European cup matches in the surrounding weeks. "As president of the Lega, I have the obligation to protect the needs of supporters," Simonelli said.

The Serie A chief expressed satisfaction that the two events proceeded without incident and credited Rome's police forces for their management. He called on local prefects and police chiefs to allow Serie A to organise the calendar independently, noting that while public order remains a priority, he hopes to avoid "further excessive caution" from authorities in future.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

“Ezio Simonelli, presidente della Lega Serie A, ha concesso un’intervista all’edizione odierna del ‘Corriere della Sera’ per commentare il caos organizzativo che ha preceduto il derby tra Roma e Lazio di domenica scorsa. Queste le sue parole: “Non c’è stato da parte nostra un errore di…”

Read the full article in Italian at Roma News.

Read original on Roma News →

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