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MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 05: Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of AS Roma, looks on prior to the Serie A match between Inter and AS Roma at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Watch as Gian Piero Gasperini walked out of his pre-match press conference in tears ahead of Roma’s visit from his former club Atalanta coming up on Saturday evening.
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Watch: Gasperini gets emotional in pre-Atalanta press conference
It has been a difficult few weeks for Gasperini, who has reportedly fallen out with senior advisor to the club Claudio Ranieri, with reports claiming that one of them is likely to depart the club in the near future.
Gasperini addressed the ongoing issues in the Roma camp during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, and became visibly emotional when discussing his time at Atalanta.
“In Rome, there’s everything you need to do well. In Bergamo, I succeeded because the environment around me was united, and the club’s work was extraordinary,” the Roma head coach said.
“The small city also created an ideal atmosphere. We worked and built things together. There were young players and more, a strong core group. Think about the transfers made and how the money was reinvested. The anomaly of Atalanta was that it was playing in Europe while still making a profit.
“It was not just thanks to me, but above all to a very capable club, which worked in harmony with the coach. Then things changed a bit, partly because ownership changed, and partly because of the ‘father figure’ I was very close to [Antonio Percassi]…”
Gasperini then paused briefly, began to well up, slammed his hands on the table and decided to walk out of his press conference.
ByPeter Young
Peter Young is a Senior Reporter with Football Italia.
