Totti return stalls as Gasperini defers to Roma ownership

AS Roma employees declared a state of agitation—a form of industrial protest that often precedes strike action—on Monday 13 July, the day the club's squad began pre-season training at Trigoria for the 2026–27 campaign. The move follows the sudden relocation of 42 workers from other departments, including marketing, ticketing, and media and communications, to AS Roma Store positions. In an official statement, staff said: "The relocations have caused a profound transformation of work for many employees, with the risk of losing professional skills and expertise built up over years. The criteria used to identify affected staff remain unclear and lack sufficient transparency and verifiability. The assemblies revealed strong discontent and bitterness among workers, who perceived these decisions as a significant impact on their professional development and the trust built with the company. Health and safety issues persist, particularly regarding training, risk assessment, and conditions at some retail outlets." Workers accused the Friedkin Group of executing a "disguised collective redundancy" through aggressive cost-cutting and outsourcing policies. Lawyer Francesco Bronzini, representing several affected employees, denounced a serious "demotion and stripping of professional status" affecting long-serving Roma professionals, now reduced to purely executive tasks. The club justified the reorganisation as necessary restructuring following the closure of official media channels and the merger with subsidiary Soccer, with marketing activities handed to multinational agency We Are Social.

AS Roma staff declared a state of agitation on Monday at the Trigoria training centre during an employee assembly, marking the opening move in a union protest that typically precedes strike action. The declaration follows the sudden redeployment of 38 employees—roughly 13 per cent of a workforce of around 300—to AS Roma Store roles. Staff from diverse departments including marketing, ticketing, administration, and media were unexpectedly reassigned to retail positions, affecting experienced professionals across multiple skill levels. The employees' statement highlighted concerns over the loss of specialised expertise developed over years of service. Workers expressed that the reallocation criteria lacked sufficient transparency and verifiability, and criticised what they characterised as a significant disruption to their professional trajectories and the trust relationship with the club. Beyond the reassignments themselves, staff also flagged ongoing deficiencies in health and safety protocols, citing gaps in training, risk assessment procedures, and conditions at certain retail outlets. The assembly revealed widespread discontent among the workforce, who viewed the decisions as damaging to their careers and to the broader relationship between employees and the organisation.

AS Roma's pre-season training camp at Trigoria opened with bad news as striker Robinio Vaz suffered a first-degree medial collateral ligament injury to his right knee during a session. The French forward will undergo further examination to determine the severity and recovery timeline. Vaz arrived at Roma in January and was preparing for his first full season as a giallorosso. In his opening six months, he scored once, a decisive goal against Lecce. The injury comes as Gasperini begins his tenure as head coach and assesses the squad ahead of the new campaign.