From Mourinho to Juric: How Roma environment became toxic | OneFootball

Roma have changed three coaches in 11 months, and debatable decisions have sucked away their fans’ passion making the Stadio Olimpico environment extremely toxic.

Football tickets for Roma games cannot be found anywhere during José Mourinho and Daniele De Rossi’s reigns.

The Special One was called the ‘King of sold-out’ because the Stadio Olimpico was full for 43 consecutive matches under the Portuguese boss.

When he was sacked in January 2024, Roma owners made an intelligent decision by hiring club legend De Rossi, as the former midfielder’s aura still attracted several fans to the Olimpico. The Roma stadium was again sold out for many consecutive matches, and the atmosphere was fantastic for the home side and frightening for the opponents.

The idyll was broken less than two months ago when Roma suddenly sacked De Rossi to hire Juric.

From Mourinho to Juric: How Roma environment became toxic

ROME, ITALY – NOVEMBER 10: AS Roma head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Bologna at Stadio Olimpico on November 10, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Most fans felt betrayed by club owners who were – and still are – accused of ignoring the club’s history and culture, making unpopular decisions that were tough to understand even because nobody from the club explained them to the outside environment.

Somebody went way too far, threatening CEO Lina Selokolu, who resigned just a few hours before Juric’s debut match.

After De Rossi’s sacking, Roma players also felt the consequences of fans’ anger.

Dressing room leaders Bryan Cristante, Gianluca Mancini and Lorenzo Pellegrini were accused of not supporting the coach, and there were rumours that Cristante had even clashed with De Rossi before the start of the season.

Pellegrini and Cristante were booed by the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico, which was no longer sold out in every match under Juric.

On Sunday, before the Croatian tactician’s last game in charge, fans at the stadium booed the players and the coach, and obviously, the environment was even more toxic after a 3-2 loss against Bologna.

Juric was sacked less than an hour after the final whistle, but Roma are still looking for a replacement.

“Ivan is an ambitious coach who demands a great deal from his players. This is not the moment to evaluate the technical and tactical issues, he arrived in a very difficult situation,” Roma sporting director Florent Ghisolfi explained on Sunday.

“The Friedkin family and I maintain the same long-term project, which is to win and keep investing to achieve that aim.

“We want to thank Ivan Juric. We realise it was not easy for him in this situation. We thank him and his staff for their hard work, and we wish them the best for their future endeavours.”

Perhaps what they haven’t realised is that bad decisions created a “very difficult” situation for Juric, and if the club doesn’t adopt a solid structure – including hiring a new CEO – and a different communication model, any other coach will struggle just like the Croat.