For several seasons now, chaos has ruled at Roma. Constant changes in coaches, harsh criticism from the fans, and questionable market strategies have led to the dismissal of José Mourinho and Daniele De Rossi, as well as the resignation of the club’s CEO, Greek Lina Souloukou, the latest casualty in a mess that’s put owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin in the spotlight.

Greek Lina Souloukou resigned as CEO of Roma just three days after the unexpected firing of Italian Daniele De Rossi as coach, which caused an uproar among many Roma fans, despite him not having secured a win this season. "Roma announces the resignation of CEO Lina Souloukou. We thank Lina for her dedication during such a critical time for the Club and wish her all the best in her future endeavors," the club said in an official statement.

De Rossi's firing shocked a large part of the 'Giallorossi' fanbase, who blamed the CEO for the decision. In fact, reports in Italy on Saturday stated that the now-former CEO had been placed under "protective measures" due to the tensions and threats she received since Thursday, the day of the legendary Roma player's dismissal.

Friedkin Family's Investment Without Reward

To fully understand what's happening at Roma, we need to go back to 2020. Roma's ownership lies in the hands of the Friedkin family, with Dan and Ryan as the public faces, though it’s Dan, a film producer, who is listed as the owner and president since purchasing the club in 2020 for around €600 million.

Since then, nearly €1 billion has been invested with the goal of regularly returning Roma to the Champions League and building a long-term elite project. However, that goal hasn’t been met. The last time they made it to the Champions League was in the 2018-19 round of 16.

Aside from a Conference League title under Mourinho and a Europa League final—also under Mourinho—that was lost to Sevilla, there’s been little relief from Roma’s poor performance in Serie A. They came close to returning to the Champions League but fell short.

Almost €1 billion has resulted in a seventh-place finish and three consecutive sixth-place finishes. A huge investment that will need to be even bigger in the coming years if Roma wants to have its own stadium.