ROME, Feb 4 ― Edin Dzeko has been stripped of the AS Roma captaincy but resolved his differences with coach Paulo Fonseca, the Serie A club’s general manager Tiago Pinto said on Wednesday.
The Bosnian striker has not played for the capital club since their Coppa Italia last-16 elimination by Spezia on Jan. 19.
The 34-year-old trained separately from the squad after a disagreement with Fonseca, and Italian media reports said the club considered selling him during the January transfer market.
But Pinto, who left Benfica to become Roma’s general manager in November 2020, revealed that while the dispute has been settled, Dzeko would not continue to lead the team.
“On the captaincy, a club must rely on discipline,” he told a news conference.
“At the moment Dzeko isn’t the Roma captain. We will work for the interests of Roma in the future.”
Dzeko has been a key player for Roma since signing from Manchester City in 2016 and has scored eight goals in 20 appearances this season in all competitions.
That form has helped Roma to third place in the Serie A table and the knockout stages of the Europa League.
“Anyone who lives in the world of football lives in a family, and in every family there are problems and clarifications,” Pinto said.
“Once they are resolved, you become stronger. Dzeko is a very professional footballer, a person with a strong character who has a great history with Roma,” he added.
“The collective good of Roma is more important than personal interests.” ― Reuters
