Pellegrini claimed Roma’s goalkeeping coach was ‘physically attacked’
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini has accused Bodø/Glimt manager, Kjetil Knutsen, of ‘physically attacking’ the Italian side’s goalkeeping coach.
Pellegrini was speaking after Roma’s 2-1 defeat to the Norwegian side in the Europa Conference League quarter-final where ugly scenes reportedly broke out at full-time.
😭 #glimt pic.twitter.com/hznEZzmiuA
— FK Bodø/Glimt (@Glimt) April 7, 2022
Pellegrini claimed that goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos was attacked
The Giallorossi claim that their goalkeeping coach, Nuno Santos, was attacked by Knutsen with Sky Sports Italia reporting that the Bodø boss was spoken to by Norwegian police, as well as Santos and other players who witnessed the altercation.
“Something truly unpleasant just happened,” Pellegrini explained.
“Their coach just attacked our goalkeeping trainer. First he said a few things to him, then physically attacked him.
“It’s really sad, because behaviour like this is an insult to Roma, to the players and the staff. It is shameful.”
The Roma captain also blamed the state of the pitch
The 25-year-old didn’t stop there in his criticisms, and also cited the state of the pitch as a reason behind the Italian side’s struggles in Scandinavia.
Bodø/Glimt play on an artificial pitch in order to help them deal with the cold conditions in the Arctic Circle.
“The shame is reaching a quarter-final where the ball bounces and you have no idea where it’s going to go,” the captain added.
“However, that mustn’t be an excuse, because in a week’s time there is a battle we want to win.
“I am honestly still shaken by what I just saw, it’s absolutely shameful. Now we want to send Bodo home, also because of what happened off the field.”
This is the second time José Mourinho’s side have been beaten by Bodø/Glimt, after they famously lost 6-1 in the group stage, but they will have the chance to make amends and try to progress to the last four of the Conference League in Rome next Thursday.
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