De Rossi: The fans should be free to support the team at home as well

Around 4,000 Giallorossi fans made their trip to Stadio Carlo Castellani, cheering the visitors throughout the 90 minutes as they searched for a winning goal.

That strike would not come, but De Rossi - wearing the armband in the absence of Francesco Totti - nonetheless believes their example was a reminder that the situation at Stadio Olimpico cannot be allowed to continue.

"[It's] a good thing because they've been taken away from us at home and at least we can enjoy them when we're away," De Rossi said, when asked about the away support. "The game as a spectacle was a credit to Roma fans and generally anyone who loves their football team, be they AC Milan, Roma, Empoli or Lazio.

"A fan has to be free to support their team, not hundreds of kilometres away but at home, always within the limits of the law and behaving properly. Anybody is misbehaves should be punished, but I don't think punishing them pre-emptively is right and it's only happening to us.

"I'm repeating the same thing over and over: this is not OK. It's a real shame; I think they're making a mistake and it's also making them look bad."