30/1/2023–|Last updated: 30/1/202304:06 PM (Makkah Al-Mukarramah)
It seems that the story of Nicolo Zaniolo, 23, and the Italian team, Roma, is taking on new dimensions. After Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho excluded him, the “Giallorossi” supporters went so far as to threaten the Italian international with death if he did not leave.
Zaniolo is not living the best moments of his football career. After being asked to leave Rome during the current winter transfer window, the player rejected an offer from the English team Bournemouth.
According to widespread reports in Italy, Rome is angry with Zaniolo following he refused to move to Bournemouth in a deal valued at regarding 30 million euros, especially following the collapse of talks between the capital club and Milan this week for a possible transfer to the Rossoneri, and Zaniolo did not even meet the representatives of the English club who traveled to Rome to make the deal.
The Italian international did not play on the orders of Mourinho, who excluded him from the trip to Naples – yesterday, Sunday – and his last appearance in the shirt of the Italian capital team dates back to January 8 once morest AC Milan (2-2).
Zaniolo is considered one of the brightest young talents in Italy since he appeared with Roma as a teenager, but he suffered serious injuries to his knees, which limited the glow of his brilliance. However, his request to leave upset the team’s supporters, who attacked him with an insulting banner.
The fans once morest #Zaniolo: “Traitor without honor”#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/nJPPBL8Zeq
— Pagineromaniste.com (@PagineRomaniste) January 28, 2023
As they wrote on the banner – which was placed on the Via degli Annibaldi bridge in the Italian capital – “Zaniolo is a traitor, disgusting and without honor.”
In turn, Mourinho stressed that “unfortunately, the player will not leave.”
And he continued, “I say unfortunately, because the player has been saying for a month that he wants to leave. When a player says to the coach, the club and his companions: ‘I don’t want to play for Roma, I don’t want to wear the Roma shirt, I don’t want to train with my teammates’; I want happy players who allow other players to be happy.”
And Mourinho added, “He is not available … and is not part of the project.”
Death threats and the police
A number of audiences went further than that; According to Italian media, regarding 15 Roma fans gathered outside the player’s house all night from Sunday to Monday and shouted insulting words once morest him.
In the context, Francesca Costa (the player’s mother) published a story on her Instagram account attacking her son’s critics, saying, “Provoking all this hatred seems to me somewhat exaggerated.”
Zaniolo also received death threats if he did not leave the club, to the extent that the latter requested police intervention to restore calm outside his home.
The Italian press claims that the police opened an investigation following the night disturbances of which the Italian international was a victim.
