An idiot who writes fixtures with his feet

In the end, half of the matches in Serie A will be played exactly at noon (13h Nairobi time) on Sunday in Serie A. It will not be a showdown at the O.K. Corral, but during Sunday lunch Italian football will largely determine the remaining three Champions League spots. The unusual kickoff times are the consequence of forgetfulness and carelessness from officials at Lega Serie A, who completely overlooked the fact that the ATP Finals tournament is being played in Rome, just a few hundred meters away from Stadio Olimpico, during the very same weekend they had scheduled the Rome derby. Or, as head of the Italian Tennis federation put it, “we cannot be expected to move our final just because some idiot typed up the fixture list with his feet”.

Then fate added more complications: S.S. Lazio unexpectedly reached the Coppa Italia final, while Italian president Sergio Mattarella announced that he would attend the ATP final because it was widely expected that Jannik Sinner would be one of the finalists. Rome’s prefect, responsible for safety and security, decided to move the Rome derby by one day — from Sunday to Monday at 20:45. Consequently, because Lega Serie A wanted matches involving teams fighting for European qualification and survival to be played simultaneously, the kickoff times for Pisa Sporting Club vs. SSC Napoli, Genoa CFC vs. AC Milan, Juventus FC vs. ACF Fiorentina, and Como 1907 vs. Parma Calcio 1913 were also aligned with the derby.

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Then came a “revolt” from clubs and supporters, partly because Italy is scheduled to hold a general strike on Monday, May 18. Lega Serie A appealed the prefect’s decision in court, and the matter was escalated to a higher authority, which threatened to cast doubt over the regularity of the competition. The technical deadlines meant that no final ruling could realistically be reached before Monday. Meanwhile, Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri declared that he would not attend the derby and called on club president Claudio Lotito not to send the team out against AS Roma. Over the last five years, it has become standard practice in Italy that teams playing in the Coppa Italia final have their next Serie A match moved to Monday, unless they explicitly request otherwise.

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Moving the derby to Monday triggered a fierce reaction from Roma’s organized supporter groups, who announced a boycott of the match and plans to gather around the stadium in protest — effectively a call for clashes with police. Politics then entered the picture, pressuring both sides to find a compromise. In the end, a “Solomonic solution” was reached: the Serie A matches will be played at exactly noon. That creates enough time between the end of the derby at the Olimpico and the ATP final at Foro Italico, which starts at 17:00.

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Sarri is reportedly moving closer to the exit door at Lazio’s training center in Formello, while Gian Piero Gasperini has already “cleared out” everyone who stood in the way of his project at Trigoria or failed to believe in his ambition of challenging for the scudetto next season. Lazio are currently in deep crisis on every level. For the second consecutive year they will not play in European competition, the conflict between the owner and the supporters intensifies week after week, many players want to leave, and there are no signs that Lotito is prepared to spend money and invest in the club’s future instead of simply profiting from it. The idea of renovating Stadio Flaminio and turning it into Lazio’s new home has failed to change the gloomy narrative surrounding Lotito’s Lazio, partly because very few people believe he is truly serious about restoring the stadium. Among the names mentioned as possible successors to Sarri are Kosta Runjaić, Gennaro Gattuso, and Raffaele Palladino.

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Unlike Sarri, Gasperini has already held a meeting with Ryan Friedkin, the club vice president and representative of his father Dan Friedkin. Roma’s coach reportedly asked the Friedkin family to extend the contracts of Paulo Dybala, Zeki Celik, and Lorenzo Pellegrini. The owners are generally willing to fulfill Gasperini’s wishes, but not to meet the financial demands of those players. Dybala would have to accept a salary reduction from 8 million to 2.5 million euros per year. Pellegrini would also need to agree to a significant pay cut from his current 4.5 million salary plus 2 million in bonuses. Roma would gladly extend Celik’s contract as well, but not for the 4 million per season his agents are asking for — instead offering somewhere between 2.5 and 3 million euros. The latest reports suggest that Dybala is willing to consider Roma’s proposal, which automatically increases the chances of him remaining in the Eternal City. In Dybala’s case, an important role is also played by his wife, who reportedly wants to continue living in Rome almost at any cost.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 37

Sunday

13.00: (1.25) Como (5.70) Parma (13.0)

13.00: (4.70) Genoa (3.70) Milan (1.75)

13.00: (1.33) Juventus (5.10) Fiorentina (9.50)

13.00: (8.50) Pisa (4.70) Napoli (1.38)

13.00: (1.58) Roma (4.20) Lazio (6.35)

16.00: (1.20) Inter (6.75) Verona (14.0)

19.00: (1.67) Atalanta (4.20) Bologna (5.00)

21.45: (2.70) Sassuolo (3.05) Lecce (2.80)

21.45: (2.50) Udinese (3.35) Cremonese (3.05)

21.45: (2.35) Cagliari (3.10) Torino (3.50)

***odds are subject to change***