Playing Rome derby in lunchtime heat due to violence worries is ‘a loss for soccer,’ Sarri says

ROME (AP) — Playing the Rome derby during the lunchtime heat to discourage fan violence after the previous match was likened to ‘urban warfare’ is “a loss for soccer,” Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri said on Saturday.

The derby on Sunday will start at 12:30 p.m. local time (1030 GMT) after 24 police officers were injured during clashes at a night derby in April.

The temperature in the Stadio Olimpico during gametime is forecast to rise above 30 degrees (nearly 90 F).

“It’s a loss for soccer, because at that hour with this heat it will affect the pace of the match,” Sarri said. “It’s also a loss for the authorities because it means that they couldn’t guarantee public order at a different time.”

Ultras convention

The Rome derby has become a sort of convention for hard-core “ultra” fan groups in recent seasons, and militant supporter associations are expected from all over Europe on Sunday.

Fan groups of Atletico Madrid, Panathinaikos and Dinamo Zagreb are aligned with Roma’s fans, while supporter groups of West Ham, Wisla Krakow, Levski Sofia and Lokomotive Leipzig are aligned with Lazio.

The derby has been plagued by violence for years and thousands of police officers will attempt to maintain public order in and around the stadium.

In 2004, the game was suspended due to a false rumor that police killed a boy outside the stadium.

In January, a car went up in flames outside the stadium before last season’s first derby.

“The heat will be the same for both us and Roma and we’ll still need to give everything that we have,” Sarri said. “If there’s a game that’s worth dying for on the field, it’s the derby.”

Sarri’s derby record

Sarri was rehired by Lazio this season after coaching the club from 2021-24. In his first spell, he directed Lazio to four victories in six derbies, drawing one and losing one.

“I only remember the one we lost,” Sarri said, referring to Roma’s 3-0 win in March 2022. “The deep sadness we felt in the days after that game was a heavy weight to carry. That’s what I’ve attempted to explain to the players this week. They have to give everything, because this is a game that you play for the fans and we can’t allow ourselves to disappoint them.”

Both teams have struggled at the start of Serie A.

Lazio has lost two of its three matches and Sarri abandoned the stadium immediately after a loss at Sassuolo last weekend.

Roma has produced only two goals in three matches since Gian Piero Gasperini was hired to replace the retiring Claudio Ranieri after nine high-scoring seasons at Atalanta.

Sarri’s and Gasperini’s 22-year history

The derby will mark the 22nd career meeting between Sarri and Gasperini.

“Maurizio and I have been facing each other since 2003 in Serie C,” Gasperini said. “We’ve earned it and we deserve this Rome derby.”

Gasperini last coached in a derby when he was in charge of Genoa in 2016.

Pellegrini stripped of captaincy

Then-Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener when the Giallorossi beat Lazio 2-0 in last season’s first derby.

But the Rome-born Pellegrini has been marginalized and stripped of the captaincy under Gasperini, who gave the armband to Stephan El Shaarawy based on seniority.

Still, Pellegrini could feature on Sunday with playmaker Paulo Dybala out injured.

“Lorenzo is a very strong player,” Gasperini said, “but at 29 he’s got to become an athlete and start running.”

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