A former Aston Villa star was alleged to have been in a dressing room clash
AS Roma accused the player of physically striking two of their youth players
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By YASEEN ZAMAN
Published: 19:33 EDT, 26 May 2025 | Updated: 19:35 EDT, 26 May 2025
AS Roma accused a former Aston Villa star of physically striking two of their youth players in a dressing room bust-up.
The incident is said to have occurred after the Primavera championship semi-final - an Italian youth football competition - between Roma and Fiorentina.
After the latter won 2-1 and booked their spot in the final, their youngsters were congratulated in the dressing room by one of their senior players.
Nicolo Zaniolo - who is currently on loan at Fiorentina from Galatasaray - reportedly commended the efforts of the club's youth team before heading to Roma's locker room, whom he used to play for.
The midfielder made 128 appearances for the capital club between 2018 and 2023, before leaving for Galatasaray.
Roma alleged that Zaniolo went into their changing room and 'engaged in provocative behaviour' towards some of the club's youth players, culminating in the 25-year-old striking two of them.
In a statement, Roma accused Nicolo Zaniolo of physically striking two of their youth players
Zaniolo was in the stands to watch Fiorentina - his current side - face off against Roma - his former club - in a youth game
The Italian made 39 appearances for Aston Villa during his loan spell in the 2023-24 season
A club statement read: 'AS Roma announces that, following today's match, a regrettable incident occurred involving player Nicolò Zaniolo.
'According to initial reconstructions, the player allegedly entered the Primavera team's dressing room after the match and engaged in provocative behavior towards some of the Giallorossi youth players.
'During the confrontation, two players from the Primavera squad were reportedly physically struck.
'AS Roma cannot but firmly condemn any form of aggressive conduct or behavior that does not align with the values of sport.'
However, Zaniolo offered a different account of events, claiming, via a club statement from Fiorentina, that he went to the changing room to congratulate the Giallorossi teenagers.
The Italy international then explained he left the locker room after being insulted, with no mention of any physical altercation.
Zaniolo's statement read: 'At the end of the match, I went into the locker room to congratulate the Fiorentina lads, then passed through the Roma room to salute and compliment them on their season.
'However, at a certain point they started to insult me, so at that stage, to avoid the situation degenerating, I preferred to simply leave.'
Zaniolo insisted that he went to Roma's locker room to compliment them on their season but was met with insults, so he subsequently left
The midfielder played 128 games for Roma between 2018 and 2023, before joining Galatasaray
Zaniolo begun his football career at Fiorentina's youth system before being released and joining Virtus Entella. He made his professional debut for the Entella Primavera side in Serie B in 2017.
Zaniolo then secured a move to Inter Milan, where he played one season before joining Roma.
It was here that he broke through as one of the most exciting young talents in Italy, even winning the Serie A Young Player of the Year award in 2018-19.
But injury issues plagued Zaniolo between 2019 and 2021, and he was never quite the same upon his return in the years after.
The Tuscany native departed Roma for Galatasaray in 2023, where he is still contracted to.
He has endured loan spells at Villa, Atalanta and Fiorentina since 2023, but has failed to rediscover the form that put him on the map at the end of the last decade.