Former Roma director of sport Gianluca Petrachi has attacked Tiago Pinto: ‘I don’t know him, he doesn’t even have qualifications to be sporting director.’

Petrachi was sacked by former Roma president James Pallotta last summer.

Tha Giallorossi brought Tiago Pinto in from Benfica last month but the Portuguese is not going to serve as sporting director as Roma’s search for Petrachi’s successor continues.

Former Roma director of sport Gianluca Petrachi has attacked Tiago Pinto: ‘I don’t know him, he doesn’t even have qualifications to be sporting director.’

Petrachi was sacked by former Roma president James Pallotta last summer.

Tha Giallorossi brought Tiago Pinto in from Benfica last month but the Portuguese is not going to serve as sporting director as Roma’s search for Petrachi’s successor continues.

“Benfica’s sporting director is Rui Costa, I’ve always spoken with him,” Petrachi told Sportitalia.

“Tiago Pinto doesn’t even qualifications to work as sporting director. He may be the best director in the world, but Rui Costa is the director of sport of Benfica. Maybe he will cover different roles, they say he can do many things. As a director of sport, I really don’t know him.”

Petrachi denied he clashed with Paulo Fonseca even if the Portuguese tactician didn’t like Petrachi storming inside the dressing room at half time of Sassuolo-Roma in February 2020, with the Giallorossi down to three goals.

“I didn’t enter the dressing room in every game. There are some important moments when a director, as a representative of the club, must do what he has to. I’d do it again and again. I didn’t clash with Fonseca, he spoke to the team after I had finished. I didn’t do anything wrong, I try to give voice to the club.

“My regret is that I’ve never had a direct relationship with [James] Pallotta. We didn’t have a direct contact and not only because of my English.

“The President understood the situation later on. There was a very friendly exchange of messages. I wanted to tell him: ‘Mr. President if you discriminate me in front of media, you don’t give me the strength to protect the club, you’re killing me, but you have to protect me instead.’

"My contact person was CEO Guido Fienga, who was always my point of reference. I transferred everything to him and consequently he referred to the president and vice-versa.

“Until January everything was fine, from then on something started to creak. Unfortunately, Pallotta never came to Italy and this affected because the presence of the president is crucial.”

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