The scheduling of the Roma vs. Lazio derby for Sunday at noon local time has raised questions about whether Maurizio Sarri will uphold his threat to skip the match at the Stadio Olimpico.
The exact date and time for the match had been uncertain since Monday, when Serie A announced that all five games involving teams competing for Champions League spots would be played simultaneously.
Initially, the games were set for Sunday at 11:30 AM UK time (12:30 PM CEST). However, local authorities later ordered the derby to be postponed to Monday at 7:45 PM UK time (8:45 PM CEST) for public safety reasons, as it would have clashed with the Italian Open men’s singles tennis final.
After four days of discussions, urgent appeals, and meetings, an agreement was finally reached on Sunday morning to hold the match at 11:00 AM UK time (12:00 PM CEST).
It remains to be seen if Sarri will attend the game, as he had declared his intention to boycott it following Lazio’s Coppa Italia Final loss to Inter.
Sarri’s Firm Stance on Absence
“My feeling is that I will come on Monday, but if they want to play the derby at midday on a Sunday, I’m not coming. They can do it themselves,” Sarri stated to Sport Mediaset on Wednesday night.
“This is a series of errors made by Serie A. They scheduled the Turin Derby close to the ATP tennis finals in Turin, and then the Rome Derby during the Italian Open in Rome.”
“These were their mistakes, and I agree with the local authorities. I hope we play on Monday. If I were the President of Lazio, I wouldn’t even show up with the squad on Sunday. It makes no difference to us either way; we’ll face point penalties. I wouldn’t go.”
“They make a series of incredible errors, and nobody takes responsibility to say, ‘We made a mistake.’ I doubt I would keep my job if I made three or four mistakes per day. They can’t pretend this is normal. There are five teams playing games that are worth €90 million for their futures; you can’t make them play at midday. This is not football,” Sarri concluded.
While Roma issued a statement confirming their efforts to ensure the game was played on Sunday, Lazio has largely remained silent on the matter.