AS Roma has accused former player Nicolo Zaniolo, currently a striker for Fiorentina, of arriving at the club`s capital facilities in an intoxicated state on Monday. The club alleges he urinated in the dressing room and physically assaulted two youth players, resulting in both requiring hospitalization.
AS Roma detailed the alleged events in a statement released on Tuesday.
“On the evening of May 26, following the Primavera semi-final match between Fiorentina and AS Roma at Viola Park, Nicolò Zaniolo (Fiorentina first team) unlawfully entered the Roma dressing room area accompanied by an associate, despite lacking accreditation,” the statement read. “Witnesses report Zaniolo appeared visibly intoxicated. He urinated in Roma facilities, provoked players, and, without verbal exchange, physically struck Mattia Almaviva and violently pushed Marco Litti against a bench. Litti had recently undergone shoulder surgery. Both players required hospitalization: Almaviva received a 10-day recovery prognosis, Litti 21 days.”
Zaniolo has denied the allegations.
He stated, “At the end of the match I went down to the locker room to congratulate the Fiorentina boys and then I went to the Roma locker room to say hello and congratulate them on the season, but at a certain point they started insulting me so, at that point, to avoid the situation degenerating, I preferred to leave.”
Zaniolo played for AS Roma from 2018 to 2023 before moving to Galatasaray. He has since had loan spells at Aston Villa, Atalanta, and most recently, Fiorentina, where he has played 13 games across all competitions over the last six months.
Next Steps
Given the intricate nature of this situation, the immediate next steps remain unclear. However, in their statement, Roma expressed support for their players and voiced a hope that football authorities and institutions will intervene to ensure accountability and protect the values of Italian football.
