Roma president condemns "f**king morons" tarnishing club
After a Liverpool supporter was seriously injured at Anfield, James Pallotta has blasted a "few stupid people" among his club's fans.
Roma president James Pallotta has hit out at "fucking morons" tarnishing his club's reputation, after a Liverpool fan was seriously injured in an incident that preceded Tuesday's Champions League game at Anfield.
A 53-year-old was left in a critical condition as a result of an alleged assault close to Anfield prior to kick-off and two Italian men were duly charged and remanded in custody by Merseyside Police.
While Pallotta believes "99.9 per cent" of his team's fans are "great", he insists things must change regarding the behaviour of "a few individuals who do stupid things".
"We have a long history at Roma and what's going on when you have a few stupid people is that they destroy our history and they attack our legacy and I'm tired of it," the Roma president told reporters
"It's not just an issue for Rome. It's an issue for Italy and it's an issue for the authorities and it's an issue for all of us to band together and to finally wake up so that we don't have a reputation - that's not deserved around the rest of the world - that our fans are not good fans because our fans are the best fans in the world. It's just a couple of fucking morons that take the rest of us down.”
Pallotta reiterated that he does not feel Roma fans should all be tarred with the same brush following the violence at Anfield ahead of the first leg, which Liverpool won 5-2.
"These games are great but they're not life and death," he added. "What's going on right now with [the victim] Sean Cox in Liverpool, that's life and death and that affects his family.
"I don't really give a shit about the score of the game. It's disappointing to me that Rome and Roma get blamed for a few individuals who do stupid things."
Liverpool have held talks with Roma and the relevant Italian authorities to ensure supporters can travel safely to the second leg.
And Reds boss Jürgen Klopp urged fans planning to go to the Italian capital to act sensibly and steer clear of trouble.
"Everybody knows, everybody knows, go there, open your eyes and hopefully all people are responsible," Klopp said after Saturday's goalless draw with Stoke City.
"Common sense, please, and if you don't feel safe, stay in the hotel, go home again and we do the job without the people, nobody should be afraid or whatever. I really can't get that we talk constantly about this and hopefully police forces from all countries help together to make sure nothing happens. And Rome can show it's only a rumour."