AS Roma chief executive officer (CEO) Lina Souloukou has announced her resignation.
Her decision to step down comes four days after the sacking of head coach Daniele de Rossi.
De Rossi’s dismissal was met with anger by Roma supporters, with Souloukou receiving much of the backlash.
“We thank Lina for her dedication in a particularly critical phase for the club and wish her the best for her future professional challenges,” a Roma statement read.
“The ownership remains fully focused on the growth and success of Roma, with a constant attention to the values that make our team so special.”
In the wake of De Rossi’s sacking, angry supporters had shown up at Roma’s Trigoria training complex asking for Souloukou’s whereabouts. Graffiti also appeared in the city reading “Where is Lina?”.
Multiple reports in the Italian media stated the Greek executive had been assigned a police escort following the threats.
Souloukou was appointed Roma CEO in April 2023. She previously spent four years as Olympiacos CEO. Following her appointment, Roma club president Dan Friedkin and vice president Ryan Friedkin had described her as “an experienced, respected and trusted leader in both football and business”.
De Rossi was sacked on Wednesday after eight months in charge.
The 41-year-old, who made 616 appearances for the club as a player, was initially appointed on an interim basis following Jose Mourinho’s sacking in January.
In June, he was given a three-year contract after turning Roma’s season around by securing a sixth-place finish in Serie A and leading the club to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Under De Rossi Roma had made a winless start to the new Serie A season, drawing three games and suffering one defeat against Empoli.
Ivan Juric was subsequently named De Rossi’s successor on a one-year contract.
Roma are in Serie A action on Sunday at home to Udinese.
(Silvia Lore/Getty Images)
