Baldissoni confirms club has appealed Strootman suspension

Following news that Kevin Strootman had received a two-game ban for his part in the dismissal of Lazio's Danilo Cataldi during Sunday's Rome derby, Roma general manager Mauro Baldissoni issued the following update:

"Sometimes it seems as though we’re destined never to be able to enjoy these moments of joy for long, although I do invite our fans to keeping savouring them.

"We are extremely surprised and bewildered to learn of [Kevin] Strootman’s suspension on questionable grounds.

"We have already made an urgent appeal and await the relevant documentation so we can complete it in time for Monday’s match against AC Milan. We aim to have a hearing on Friday. The reasons given are rather debatable.

"This is the first time TV evidence has been used for simulation, despite the fact that the statement says that [Danilo] Cataldi was sent off for tugging Strootman.

"Strootman fell to the floor because he was pulled from behind and was afraid there might be a blow coming. He was back to his feet a second later and moved away from the scene. He certainly didn’t simulate anything.

"In any case, the key to Cataldi’s red card was the tugging. This will be the basis of our urgent appeal. Sadly we are setting a new legal precedent. The boundaries of the sports justice code have for years been stretched at Roma’s expense. It leaves a sense of real unease, because we are in a critically important phase of the season. We’re just about to play the first- and second-placed teams in the league and it just so happens that we’re hit with an unexpected suspension which is inexplicable given the points I’ve just outlined.

"The rationale behind this regulation, which was introduced years ago, is to make an example of a player who simulates having received a blow to the head, thus causing the referee to make a mistake. But in this case, Strootman is being punished for something that Cataldi actually did.

"He went down because he didn’t know what was coming next. He was back on his feet a second later and stayed well out of the brawl. It’s inexplicable to class it as simulation. The sending off of Lazio midfielder Cataldi was linked exclusively to the action he himself took.

"This is the first time that we’ve seen this regulation applied to a case of this kind. We will do everything possible to protect the interests of Roma and our fans, whose patience is being severely tested.

"We will do everything in our power to defend our position. We ask our fans to stand with us. Together we can fight this – there is no sense in being divided when we are hit with injustices that penalise us all. I would once again like to invite the fans to come to the stadium for Roma v AC Milan. Roma is strong in all its facets: team, club and fans. What we need is to have all these components together as one."