De Rossi's sudden firing at Roma raises questions over market moves and a possible power struggle

ROME (AP) — Backroom clashes with Roma CEO and general manager Lina Souloukou. Frustration over the way the club attempted to offload prized forward Paulo Dybala to Saudi Arabia. The failed acquisition of Federico Chiesa.

Reports over why Daniele De Rossi suddenly fell out of favor at Roma are running rampant in the Italian capital — and it’s not just about the squad going winless in its opening four matches this season.

Owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin could quell the speculation and explain why they fired the beloved former club captain De Rossi and hired Ivan Jurić to coach the club.

But the Friedkins have never spoken publicly in the four years since they purchased Roma from fellow American James Pallotta.

“The club’s decision is made in the best interests of the team, to get back on the desired path as soon as possible at a time when the season is still in its early stages,” Roma said in a brief statement on Wednesday. “A heartfelt thank you to Daniele, who will always be at home at the Giallorossi club, for the work he has done in recent months with passion and dedication.”

The single sentence devoted to De Rossi was a far cry from the 2 ½-minute video capturing his career as both a player and a coach that Roma produced in June when the club extended his contract for three more years.

The contract extension was made official two months after it was first announced, and only five months after De Rossi was hired to replace José Mourinho.

“We couldn’t be happier to build a long-term project with Daniele,” the Friedkins said in an April statement.

So, what happened between June and mid-September?

Well, Roma’s transfer campaign began late when Florent Ghisolfi was hired as sporting director at the end of May after producing success at Lens and Nice.

Romelu Lukaku’s loan spell ended. Fullback Leonardo Spinazzola didn’t have his contract renewed and signed with Napoli on a free transfer.

De Rossi acknowledged that he didn’t know the first signing, Enzo Le Fée, a French midfielder who plays in the same position where De Rossi once excelled.

Fullback Nicola Zalewski and midfielder Edoardo Bove, both homegrown 22-year-olds, were removed from the squad. Zalewski is out of favor after refusing transfers while Bove was loaned to Fiorentina.

Asked about Zalewski, De Rossi said it was “a choice the club made.”

Chiesa, who was at the top of De Rossi’s wish list, left Juventus for Liverpool, and forwards Matías Soulé and Artem Dovbyk were signed instead. Former Germany center back Mats Hummels, who was out of contract, was a late addition and still hasn't made his debut for Roma.

“If you’ve practically revolutionized the squad you’ve got to give him time — not fire him after four rounds,” Fabio Capello, who coached Roma to its last Serie A title in 2001, said in the Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday.

Dybala had entertained a lucrative move to Al-Qadsiah that would have been welcomed by Roma’s cost-cutting management. But then the often-injured forward unexpectedly decided to turn down the Saudi Arabian offer that would have earned him nearly $85 million over three years and stay at Roma, where he had reportedly already cleaned out his locker.

Dybala’s contract with Roma expires at the end of this season and he reportedly has a clause in his contract that requires 15 appearances this season for an automatic renewal for one more year.

Since deciding to stay, he has played in all three of Roma’s matches — which could have meant that De Rossi was going against management’s wishes.

“Coach, it hasn’t been many months, but they were sufficient to convey many things on a sporting and a humane level,” Dybala wrote on Instagram after De Rossi’s firing was announced. “Soccer is often unfair.”

But soccer is also big business and the Friedkins have poured nearly $1 billion in investments into Roma without seeing the team compete once in the lucrative Champions League. Mourinho directed the team to the Conference League title in 2022 and the Europa League final a year later; and De Rossi helped the club to the Europa League semifinals last season.

But having been unable to build its own stadium after first presenting plans a decade ago, Roma is still struggling financially and was recently fined 2 million euros ($2.22 million) by UEFA for “slightly” exceeding an intermediate savings target.

Jurić was given a contract through the end of the season that includes an automatic renewal in the case of Champions League qualification.

The work starts Sunday when surprise Serie A leader Udinese visits the Stadio Olimpico, where fans could protest over the firing of De Rossi.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Genoa's Alessandro Vogliacco fights for the ball with Roma's Niccolo Pisilli, left, during the Serie A soccer match between Genoa and Roma at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP)

FILE - Roma's head coach Daniele De Rossi calls out to his players during the Europa League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between AC Milan and Roma at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

FILE - Roma's head coach Daniele De Rossi waits for the start of the Europa League second leg semi-final soccer match between Leverkusen and Roma at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

Genoa's Caleb Ekuban, left, and Roma's Paulo Dybala battle for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Genoa and Roma at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP)

FILE - Roma manager Daniele De Rossi speaks to his team during a Serie A soccer match against Atalanta at Gewiss Stadium, in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP, File)

Israel’s defense minister has declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Two waves of explosive attacks hit Syria and Lebanon: an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah that killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday, and exploding walkie-talkies and other electronics Wednesday across Lebanon that killed at least 20 people and injured 450 others.

“We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Wednesday.

The head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council promised the group would respond to Tuesday’s pager explosion attack with “special punishment.”

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Here's the latest:

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes have killed at least 10 people in the Gaza Strip, including three women and three children.

They were laid to rest Thursday after the overnight strikes in the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis. Records at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed the toll and an Associated Press reporter counted the bodies.

Mohammed Abu Huweij said his wife and three children were killed while he was out getting food.

“The eldest, Mira, was 8 years old and the youngest was 9 months. What did they do?” he said. “I left, and when I came back my entire family had been martyred.”

Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians in its nearly yearlong campaign against Hamas, which operates in residential areas. The military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.

The war began after Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7 in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people and took around 250 hostage.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not say how many were fighters, but says a little over half were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s civil aviation authorities have banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all airplanes departing from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.

The measure announced Thursday comes after such devices, mainly used by members of the militant Hezbollah group, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing dozens and wounding 3,000 people over the past two days.

The authorities called on all airline companies to inform passengers using the airport that carrying pagers and walkie-talkies onto jets is banned “until further notice.” It added that authorities will confiscate such devices found with passengers.

JERUSALEM — Hezbollah says it struck a military position in northern Israel as part of its ongoing attacks in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

The militant group has vowed to continue such operations after several of its members were killed and thousands wounded when their personal devices exploded, in what appeared to be a sophisticated attack by Israel.

Israeli media reported injuries from the strike early Thursday but there was no official confirmation.

Hezbollah began striking northern Israel shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both close allies of Iran.

Israel has responded to the near-daily fire with escalating strikes of its own and in recent days has warned of a wider military operation.

The military said early Thursday that it had struck several militant sites in southern Lebanon overnight.

JERUSALEM — Israeli security officials say an Israeli citizen has been indicted for involvement in an Iranian assassination plot against top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A statement from the Shin Bet internal security agency on Thursday said that the citizen was recruited by Iranian intelligence to “carry out terrorist activities” on Israeli soil and “promote assassination attacks” on Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar.

It was unclear how far the alleged plot had advanced. The statement did not say whether the Israeli had obtained a weapon or developed a concrete plan.

The statement said the Israeli had traveled to Iran twice — once in August following the assassination of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an explosion in Iran’s capital that was widely blamed on Israel. Israel has not said whether it was involved.

The Shin Bet said the assassination plot was an attempt by Iran to follow through on its pledge to avenge his death.

The statement said the Israeli was paid 5,000 euros ($5,575.60) but had demanded a million dollars before doing anything. The Iranians refused the demand but said they would be in touch, according to the Shin Bet.

Earlier this week, the Shin Bet said an explosion in a Tel Aviv park last September was linked to an attempt by Hezbollah to assassinate Moshe Yaalon, a former military chief of staff and defense minister.

The Lebanese militant group is closely allied with Iran.

On Tuesday, the police said they had found and dismantled a similar explosive device fitted with a camera and a mechanism that would allow it to be activated by Hezbollah.

It was unclear whether the indicted Israeli was linked to either of the alleged bomb plots.

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarian authorities rejected claims that exploding devices have been shipped through the territory of the Balkan country.

“No customs operations with communication equipment (pagers) have been carried out through the territory of Bulgaria,” the state agency for national security said in a statement on Thursday.

It came in response to media reports alleging that a company registered in Bulgaria had supplied the Lebanese organization Hezbollah with the devices, which later exploded in Lebanon and Syria.

The statement added that the agency was carrying out joint checks with the National Revenue Agency and the Ministry of Interior over the alleged involvement of a Bulgarian-registered company in the supply of communications equipment to Hezbollah.

The Sofia-based company Norta Global Ltd., owned by a Norwegian citizen, has been linked by Hungarian media to the sale of the devices that exploded in Lebanon.

Norta Global Ltd. was registered in April 2022 as a project management company, but there is no data available that they produce anything, and there are no records available about their financial operations. It is registered at the same address in downtown Sofia as 196 other companies.

TOKYO — Japanese wireless communication equipment-maker Icom says it cannot confirm whether a walkie-talkie used in the explosive attacks against Hezbollah was related to the company, noting that the production and sales of that device and its battery were discontinued about a decade ago.

The Osaka-based Icom was responding Thursday to a report that said one of the walkie-talkies used in the attacks a day earlier had a sticker with the company’s logo. Icom also noted that the device in question did not have an anti-counterfeit hologram sticker, which all authentic Icom products should be carrying.

Company executive Yoshiki Enomoto told Japanese television NTV he was “surprised” by the news. He said the company could not confirm if the unit in question was Icom-made.

“This specific device had a lot of fake copies out in the market,” he said, adding that company officials could only determine its authenticity if they see its circuits.

Icom said the wireless radio unit IC-V82 was once manufactured for export including to the Middle East from 2004 to October 2014. But the production and shipment of its main unit ended about 10 years ago and batteries for the main units have also been discontinued.

The company said its export models are only distributed through official sales representatives under rigid export control rules set by the Japanese Trade Ministry.

All Icom radio equipment is manufactured by its subsidiary, Wakayama Icom Inc., under strict security controls that only allow use of authorized parts. The products are only manufactured at the Wakayama plant in Japan, Icom said.

This photo shows a sign featuring the names of several companies on the door of a house where a Hungarian company that allegedly manufactured pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria is headquartered in Budapest, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Hezbollah fighters salute as they stand next to the coffins of four victims who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Lebanese army soldiers sit on their armoured vehicle as mourners carry the coffin of Mohammed Mahdi, son of Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar, who was killed Tuesday after his handheld pager exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Female soldiers attend the funeral for Israeli Defense Forces paramedic Sgt. Agam Naim, the first woman Israeli Defense Forces soldier killed in combat in the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Mishmarot, Israel, Wednesday, Israel, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A poster of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is placed next to bouquets of flowers and Lebanese flag in front of the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

This video grab shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)

This video grab, shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)

A poster of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is placed on flowers in front of the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)