Baldissoni hails Olimpico return as true start of the season

Baldissoni believes that the first game at the Stadio Olimpico always marks the true resumption of the football season, with the familiar surroundings and the cheering supporters creating a unique sensation.

And, with more season ticket holders for the new campaign than in recent seasons – over 30,000 have been sold for the Champions League alone, the club revealed earlier this week – the atmosphere at the Olimpico promises to have a big impact on Eusebio Di Francesco’s side.

“We broke the ice against Torino but for me the real start is always at the Olimpico,” Baldissoni said. “When you play again at home you resume certain rituals - and you see the fans again.”

He added: “I want to thank our supporters, as we have seen an improvement in the number of season tickets – especially for the Champions League. We know that there have been some issues getting to the Olimpico in recent years, especially with security measures, and we really appreciate the efforts fans have gone to in order to support the team.

“We have all seen the difference they can make: the results we managed in the Champions League last season were partly due to the passion the fans showed. More and more are coming and we are always happy to see them in the stands.”

"We know that there have been some issues getting to the Olimpico in recent years, especially with security measures, and we really appreciate the efforts fans have gone to in order to support the team."

- Mauro Baldissoni

The new season will see a few modifications at the Olimpico, including within the Curva Sud – with new platforms installed so fans can lead the chants while adhering to the stadium rules.

“It’s an idea that we started working on during last season, to overcome some of the issues that have been created by the various regulations that have been put in place over the years,” Baldissoni said. “The boxes, for fans to lead chants from, should be a solution that avoids other sanctions.

“Obviously we ask all fans to behave in the right manner, both at the Olimpico and at away games. We all remember the unfortunate episode that happened last year in the Champions League.

We have managed to have our sentence reduced after an appeal to UEFA: originally fans were to be banned from travelling to one away game, with a further game ban conditionally suspended, but now it is just a one-game suspended sentence – meaning fans can follow Roma from the first away game in this season’s group stage. But, I reiterate, we always ask our fans to behave themselves in the right way.”

Baldissoni, speaking to Roma Radio on Saturday, was also asked about the introduction of AS Roma Women ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

“It is an expansion in which we have invested a lot, both in terms of finances and manpower,” he said. “We strive for excellence in everything we do. We decided to make a promise to try and elevate the standard of the women’s competition to a professional level.

“We are a bit disappointed to see a power struggle going on inside the federation, a personal conflict that does nothing to help women’s football and is in no-one’s best interests. Our position is that the federation should organise the championship, and we would be happy to see it oversee the best interests of Serie A and Serie B sides. Going backwards would be a big mistake.”

“We strive for excellence in everything we do. We decided to make a promise to try and elevate the standard of the women’s competition to a professional level."

- Mauro Baldissoni