Zaniolo accused of ‘provocative behaviour’ by Roma

Nicolo Zaniolo, a former Aston Villa midfielder, has been accused of inciting Roma’s youth team players, with two of them reportedly “struck” following a game on Monday.

Following Fiorentina’s Under-20s’ victory over Roma in the Italian Primavera semi-final, the alleged incident occurred.

Zaniolo, who left Roma in 2023 and signed for Fiorentina on loan from Galatasaray in February, was present for the game.

Roma claimed that Zaniolo “engaged in provocative behavior toward some of the Giallorossi youth players” after the match.

Two Primavera players reportedly received physical injuries during the altercation, according to a club statement.

Any aggressive behavior or behavior that conflicts with AS Roma’s values is a force to condemn with all impunity.

In response to the allegations made in a statement from Fiorentina, Zaniolo said: “At the end of the game, I went down to the locker room to congratulate the Fiorentina boys, and then I went to the Roma locker room to say hello and congratulate them on the season.

They started insulting me at a certain point, so I decided to leave to prevent the situation from deteriorating.

Roma’s claim that two of their players were struck by the 25-year-old did not get through to the 25-year-old.