Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 7y

Roma boss Luciano Spalletti is a 'little man' - Franceso Totti's wife

Franceso Totti's wife has branded Roma coach Luciano Spalletti a "little man" for the way he treated her husband last season.

Ilary Blasi has still not accepted the way in which Spalletti sent Totti, 39, home from training after an interview the Roma captain gave to RAI television had upset him.

"All Francesco said in that interview which caused so much controversy was that he wanted to be respected," Blasi told Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview on the eve of Totti's 40th birthday, which is on Tuesday. "He was right to do so -- at that time, they [Roma] were not showing him any. Francesco is not a controversial person, he only talks when he touches the ball."

Spalletti did not see it that way, however, and Totti was sent home from the club's Trigoria training ground.

"He was sent away from his own home, and you can write that," Blasi said. "I may not know a lot about football, but that was surreal; science fiction. I couldn't believe it. You just don't do things like that. I would never have allowed myself to do such a thing.

"As soon as [Totti] arrived home, I told him that we would be going to the stadium that night anyway."

Totti was given a standing ovation by the Roma fans, having been dropped for the game against Palermo, with the supporters making it clear whose side they were on.

"That showed that the fans had not abandoned him," Blasi said. "Spalletti was a little man, full stop. It's the truth. He even said some ridiculous things. At such a difficult moment in somebody's life when a lad is taking a huge step [towards retirement], there are ways in which you should behave.

"It's right that he looks to the future and tries to plan without him, but I think that's still difficult at Roma, but I wish him well. He certainly could have been more delicate and Spalletti certainly wasn't that and he did not know how to manage him on a human level. I judge people on this also, so I have to give him a low -- a very low -- rating."

Blasi was also surprised by Roma president James Pallotta's behaviour at a time when Totti's contract was expiring and his footballing career appeared to be drawing to an end.

"I'd best be quiet otherwise I'm going to make a big mess," Blasi said when asked about Pallotta. "There was a different relationship with the Sensis [Roma's former owners], because he [Totti] was like their son, but that was more of a family management of the club where this one is run more as a business."

Totti ultimately earned a one-year contract extension with some inspired performances towards the end of last season, and there has been calls for him to carry on playing until 2018 after his recent appearances in Serie A.

"He's got to feel [whether he can play on]," Blasi said. "If he doesn't feel at ease, he would be the first to bury the hatchet. He's intelligent."

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