Soldiers had to separate Roma player, Lazio director after Coppa Derby
The two sides had just faced off in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, Roma’s 3-2 win not enough to seal qualification to the final, as they’d lost the reverse fixture 2-0.
Antonio Rudiger, who has become a cornerstone at Roma, was, Il Tempo reports, involved in an altercation with Igli Tare, a former Serie A striker turned sporting director, in the Olimpico’s car park.
It emerges that the two were having a heated conversation in German, both having previously played in the Bundesliga, before Rudiger was heard to shout “Thief!” at Tare. A few servicemen happened to be on duty, and resolved to separate the two and calm them down.
This may have something to do with Roma’s earlier Derby win in Serie A play, when Lazio everyman Senad Lulic made some shocking and inexcusable racist comments about Rudiger.
Speaking after the game, Lulic accused Rudiger of “acting like a star, when two years ago he was selling socks and belts in Stuttgart [his former club]”.