SUMMARY
- Previously, Roberto D'Aversa reportedly headbutted a Hellas Verona player.
- U.S. Lecce removed Roberto D'Aversa from his position for the incident.
On March 11, 2024, Roberto D’Aversa showed his vulnerability against Hellas Verona. His actions portrayed the human side of the managers, who are equally prone to getting rattled. However, there has to be a limit to displaying one’s anger, as the safety of an individual is of utmost importance. But it looked like Roberto D’Aversa crossed the line of decency after his side Lecce’s match against Hellas Verona.
The team from South Italy lost to Hellas Verona 1-0 at home in a Serie A 23/24 fixture. However, the highlight of the match wasn’t Michael Folorunsho’s wonder striker. Rather, it was the post-match between a Hellas Verona striker and Roberto D’Aversa that grabbed all the headlines.
U.S Lecce sacks its manager after he headbutted an opponent
Roberto D’Aversa looked very rattled by the loss. Both Verona and Lecce were inside the relegation zone before the game, so the stakes were naturally much higher. The home side created most of the chances in the game but were very unlucky in front of the goal. They could not convert their chances properly, and they also hit the crossbar a couple of times.
However, Lecce could not make good use of their home advantage, as the team went down 1-0 after just 17 minutes. With that win, Hellas Verona leapfrogged Lecce to go two points clear of the relegation spots. This added to the frustration of the Italian manager, whose team sits one point clear of the drop zone.
The 48-year-old then saw Hellas Verona striker Thomas Henry arguing with his defender, Marin Pongracic. Roberto had had enough and went on to confront the French striker. However, emotions flared up, and Roberto shockingly headbutted Thomas. The 29-year-old striker then went down but quickly jumped back and wanted to have a go at Roberto before being restrained by his teammates.
The headbutting scandal has rocked the club hierarchy at Lecce, and Roberto D’Aversa has swiftly been removed from his position. The club released a statement in which they criticized the manager’s gestures, which went against the “principles and values of the sport.”
🟡🔴 Serie A side Lecce have decided to sack the manager Roberto d’Aversa after he headbutted Verona striker Thomas Henry yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ipAzOcbYbq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 11, 2024
The club also shared on its social media, where it informed the world of Roberto’s sacking. It wrote, “After the events that occurred at the end of the Lecce – Verona match, US Lecce announces that it has relieved coach D’Aversa of his duties. Thanks go to the coach and his staff for the work done.” Both Thomas Henry and Roberto D’Aversa received red cards and will probably serve a huge suspension.
Roberto D’Aversa denies hitting any Verona player
However, the Italian manager has refuted any claims. He has admitted to losing his cool over Thomas in the aftermath of the heated game. And he does not believe he would physically assault a guy over a soccer game’s result. Roberto tried painting a different picture of the incident, but the video footage clearly showed him headbutting the Hellas Verona striker.
Roberto clarified via an Instagram post, “I got dragged by the fire and lost my clarity, but not to the point of hitting someone else. This does not belong to me, I reject it and do not accept it.”
View this post on Instagram
He also apologized to the Lecce fans, the club management, his players, etc., but refused to take responsibility for his actions. Roberto added, “I came in contact with Henry face to face, but I didn’t hit the Verona footballer with a header, nor did I receive it from him.”
The Italian manager can give lessons on sportsmanship all he wants, but the camera footage doesn’t lie. He was clearly caught assaulting Thomas Henry for fighting one of his players. It is true that managers tend to be protective of their players, but that doesn’t justify hitting another player by any means. The crux of the matter is that the whole incident could have been avoided, and Roberto D’Aversa needs to be careful with his actions in the future.