Roma icon Francesco Totti was reportedly sent home by Luciano Spalletti and is no longer part of the squad for the Giallorossi’s fixture with Palermo on Sunday evening.
The 39-year-old had previously expressed his frustration at a lack of playing time publicly and the situation has since escalated to the point where he is currently regarded as a negative influence in the dressing room.
“I can’t stay at Roma like this, it hurts to be on the bench,” Totti was quoted as saying to Rai before being excluded from the squad.
“I understand at my age that I play less, but ending my career like this is bad for me as a man and after what I’ve given to Roma.
“I demand more respect for all that I’ve done.
“What is my rapport like with Spalletti? We say ‘good morning’ and ‘good evening’, that’s it.
“He said such nice things in the papers, but not to my face.”
Spalletti has subsequently responded to Totti’s outburst by dropping him from the squad and he was dismissed from the club’s training base at Trigoria according to VoceGiallorossa.it.
Totti accepted Spalletti’s decision without arguing and said goodbye to his team-mates who were left shocked at having seen the attacking midfielder being told to leave.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com