PARMA, ITALY – MAY 10: AS Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini poses for a team photo before the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and AS Roma at Stadio Ennio Tardini on May 10, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabatini/Getty Images)
Roma have officially parted ways with sporting director Ricky Massara, a conclusion that has been inevitable for months, especially after a major falling out between Giallorossi executives, including Gian Piero Gasperini refusing to let his colleague board the team bus following the Serie A defeat to Atalanta.
What was the cause of the rift between Gasperini and Masala in Rome?
Gasperini has won a war that could derail Roma’s 2025-26 season. The manager had a huge and incredibly public falling out with the club’s senior advisor, Claudio Ranieri, and it was always expected that if Ranieri left the Giallorossi team, Massara would follow suit.
Gasperini previously said he considered Massara a “good person” but did not deny there was a lack of understanding at a sporting level.
As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Gasperini was often frustrated by the length of time it took Masala to cross the line and sign him, as well as the fact that the players he brought in did not necessarily have the standards or profile necessary to fit the coach’s vision. Meanwhile, Massara will claim he was affected by financial regulations that continue to affect Roma’s transfer market.
However, La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that there were two major events that signaled the beginning of the end of Gasperini and Masara’s relationship.
The Pink Paper reported that after Roma’s 1-0 away defeat to Atalanta on January 3, Gasperini refused to let Masala onto the team bus on the way back to the airport, forcing the sporting director to take a taxi home himself. It is believed that these were Gasperini’s words: “Go somewhere else and find a new player.”
Furthermore, Gasperini refused to attend the post-match press conference following the home win against Lecce on March 22, but La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that this was in response to a series of criticisms made by Massara in a pre-match interview.
From here, it became clear that the situation was no longer sustainable. Ranieri left Roma in April, but Massara stayed on for another month and continued to work on renewing Paulo Dybala’s contract, but now… There seems to be a consensus on that point.Masala was also sent off.
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