A verbal assault, with witnesses and security personnel involved.
After Roma’s victory over Atalanta, Tony D’Amico couldn’t celebrate as he would have liked. As he left the Olimpico stadium, the sporting director was targeted.
By a Bergamo fan? No, by Luca Percassi, CEO of Atalanta and vice president of the Lega Serie A. Evidently, Percassi couldn’t stomach D’Amico’s departure and his decision to join Roma.
So, according to several firsthand accounts, he began insulting him. The Roma sporting director, incredulous, didn’t respond and walked toward the cars parked just outside the entrance to the Monte Mario stadium (where the players’ cars are, so to speak).
But Percassi didn’t quell his fury, likely fueled by the bitterness over Soulé’s injury-time goal, and continued his tirade against D’Amico until the stewards and police intervened.
This was a very serious incident, and not the first sign of intolerance from Percassi, who this summer had resisted every request for Atalanta players, even giving in to de Roon.
Yet Percassi had already chosen Giuntoli as the new sporting director before putting a long hold on D’Amico’s departure for the capital, a destination clearly unwelcome to the Bergamo-born CEO.
This also caused several managerial problems for Roma, who were able to officially announce the new sporting director several days later. D’Amico himself, four days earlier, had instead spoken highly of his experience in Bergamo. Evidently, it wasn’t enough.
