Totti officially announced his departure from Roma to the public in a grand press conference yesterday, while turning down the club's offer of the technical director position. He said fondly: "It wasn't what I wanted, but the day has come. Although it was difficult, it was the right choice to make because I was never really integrated into the heart of the team's affairs."
(Totti. Photo credit: Reuters) Earlier, there were rumors that Totti turned down the technical director position because he didn't want to sit in an office day in and day out. However, from his words at the conference, we can sense more disappointment with the club's hierarchy. Totti revealed that he has only been involved in around 10 team meetings over the past two years. He described how he was often given last notice, as if his presence was ignored. "I think it's disrespectful to the director. I try to contribute to the club only to find that others don't seem to think so. I'm good at spotting good players, but if the top brass don't consult me when it comes to selecting coaches, players or selling players, then the position of technical director loses its meaning."
(Totti attends the launch. Photo credit: Reuters) Totti further said, "Many people have made false promises to me. I am a Roma fan and this is very disappointing for me. I dreamed of making Roma the best team, even if the Serie A title failed to arrive, there should be at least two or three title fights. Of course, we have financial problems and have to sell players. If I were the president of Roma, I would let people like Totti and De Rossi manage the team, because they know best what is important for Roma. Lord tin Pallotta has surrounded himself with the wrong people, and if you make mistakes for seven years in a row, maybe it's time to reflect on what went wrong. In the future if I were to return to Roma, the only possibility would be a different president. Leaving Roma would be like dying, but the way things are now, I'd prefer to die. Many people tell me that I represent this team and that's exactly why I don't want to leave."
(Totti attends the launch. Photo credit: Reuters) As for the departure of his good buddy De Rossi this season, some sources claim that it was a deliberate move by De Rossi to oust Totti. To this, Totti refuted and said: "I was never involved in the decision to leave him, but I had said to some directors last September, if you think this is his last season, please tell him directly, not like I was then, until the last two rounds to inform me. He's the Roma captain and should be treated with the respect he deserves. At the time they all agreed, but then De Rossi got injured, the team's record was poor, there was internal chaos in the team, Di Francesco and Monchi both left the team and everything got complicated."
(Totti attends the launch. Photo credit: Reuters) However, at the end of the day, Totti remained grateful to two figures. One was Roma CEO Fienga, who he felt was the only person within the club who supported him and was willing to listen to him. Together, they decided to leave Ranieri in place of Roma for the time being, thanks to Fienga's support. Another was Ranieri, who Totti said: "Thank you Ranieri for coming to Roma for free, he is a real man. We hadn't even talked about money or the team and he just said he would come to the Goggia training base tomorrow. I think the Roma fans should thank Ranieri and thankfully the fans did do so for De Rossi's last game and I am very happy."
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