Francesco Totti resigns: Roma legend quits as club director, says it feels like dying. Totti declared that only a change in leadership would convince him to make a return.
Following AS Roma’s surprising decision not to renew their captain and long-time servant Daniele De Rossi’s contract last month, the Italian club has now lost the service of another beloved son.
Also Read: Real Madrid could offer Isco or Bale to United as part of their Pogba deal
Francesco Totti has stepped down from his position as club director thereby ending his 30-year association with his boyhood club. The legend lashed out at the owners and management in an emotional interview that lasted for more than an hour.
“I resign as a Roma executive. I was hoping that this day never came, instead this ugly and heavy day has arrived. This is far worse than retiring as a player. Leaving Roma is like dying. I feel like it’d be better if I died.”
He then revealed how the club and owners the manner mistreated him.
“This is a club to be loved and supported. There shouldn’t be pro-Totti, pro-Pallotta or pro-Baldini factions. Just Roma fans.
“As I said, presidents pass, coaches pass, players pass, but the flags do not.
“They knew my intentions and what I wanted, to give so much to this club and team, but they never wanted me to, in all honesty. They excluded me from every decision.”
“I wasn’t ever going to change Roma, but at least give a contribution. Many promises were made, very few of them real. As a fan, that disappoints me, because as a fan, I have dreams of seeing Roma compete at the top.
Totti claimed that there was a conspiracy to remove Romans from the club while adding that Pallotta had surrounded himself with the wrong people.
“The main focus of certain people has been to remove Romans from Roma… In the end, the truth came out, because they achieved what they wanted.”
“Pallotta surrounded himself with the wrong people and he only listens to them. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you make the same mistakes for eight years, you have to ask yourself some questions. Something clearly is going wrong.”
The 2006 World Cup winner revealed that he felt like he had been stabbed in the back.
“Did someone stab me in the back at Trigoria? Yes. I will never name names, but there are people in there who don’t want me there. These people are hurting Roma, not doing what is best for the club.”
Totti spent his entire career at Roma, winning a Serie A title, two Coppa Italia titles, and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. He is the second-highest scorer of all time in Italian league history with 250 goals, and is the sixth-highest scoring Italian in all competitions with 316 goals. Totti is the top goalscorer and the most capped player in the club’s history. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in Serie A while playing for a single club while also being the youngest club captain in the history of Serie A.
