Roma-Feyenoord, Foti, Mourinho’s deputy expelled: hands in Gimenez’s face

Tense nerves at the Olimpico for the return match of the Europa League quarterfinals between Rome and Feyenoord, with the Giallorossi defeated 1-0 in the first leg in the Netherlands. In the 32nd minute Salvatore Foti, José Mourinho’s deputy, was sent off, guilty of having stretched and hit the Dutch striker Gimenez. With the ball ending up in a lateral foul in front of the Giallorossi bench due to Llorente’s intervention, Foti inexplicably hindered Gimenez, hitting him between the neck and the face as he tried to recover the ball for the lineout. Sparks between most of the benches and players on the pitch, as well as the two technical staff, with immediate red in Foti.

Moreover, not new to such episodes: in fact, he had already been sent off during the second half of the Coppa Italia match against Cremonese, then taking a month’s disqualification for expressing threatening sentences to a manager of the opposing team and to the referee and for some blasphemous expressions when leaving the field.