SUMMARY
- Fabrizio Romano has made quite a reputation for providing the latest transfer updates.
- However, he has recently been accused of a social media scandal.
Fabrizio Romano is one of the most well-known faces in the soccer world. Fans know the Italian journalist for his precise and accurate news reports. However, it is in the field of transfer updates that the 31-year-old has left behind his competitors. Fabrizio Romano has built a reputation for providing transfer updates even before official confirmations from the clubs.
But the fans have seemed to turn their backs on the Italian journalist. The once revered Fabrizio is now being targeted for alleged plagiarism and false reports. Some have even gone on to accuse Fabrizio of being on the payroll of some clubs.
The social media platform X is ablaze, with many users expressing their anger over the 31-year-old. The user ‘edwin’ accused Fabrizio Romano of accepting bribes from FC Barcelona. They commented, “yeah he’s on Laporta’s payroll.”
He’s obviously on Chelsea and Jonathan David agents payroll😭
— Simi (@simiafc) March 1, 2024
While ‘Simi’ wrote, “He’s obviously on Chelsea and Jonathan David agents payroll😭” Jonothan David is a Canadian striker who plays for LOSC Lille, and the Italian journalist has constantly reported about him earning a big move very soon.
However, the user ‘Paylow Cheapdini’ looked to protect the 31-year-old. The user commented, “What does ‘has been accused’ even mean? He said it himself a fee years ago that he gets messages from players and agents in order to tweet about them and push an agenda. It was never a secret.”
The user was probably referring to the fact that Fabrizio Romano has himself admitted that many agents and players approach him for PR work. Fabrizio’s first breakthrough as a journalist was the announcement of the deal between FC Barcelona and Sampdoria for Mauro Icardi in 2011. The journalist has publicly admitted that it was the Argentine player’s agent who fed him the information to spread the word about Icardi.
Finally, ‘Alec’ commented, “expose this fraud 😭.” The user looked disappointed at Fabrizio Romano and wanted the world to know more about his ill deeds.
Fabrizio was once rumored to be on FC Barcelona’s payroll
As mentioned earlier, many fans believe that the Italian has taken bribes from the Catalan team. Fabrizio’s account constantly provides updates on FC Barcelona, and this has somewhat irritated the fans. The fans have accused the Italian journalist of posting Barca-sponsored propaganda to distract the soccer world from the club’s controversies. These voices were intensified after the revelation that Barca had hired a company to spread propaganda.
Former club President Josep Maria Bartomeu had hired I3Ventures to downplay his opponents within the club. Many fans have accused some top journalists of being part of Bartomeu’s campaigns. The name of Fabrizio Romano, too, has popped up in this regard.
amigo, ten mucho cuidado antes de publicar que estoy a sueldo de alguien… y respeta antes de inventar mentiras.
Cada vez que habla Laporta, Florentino, o quien sea, publico todas las palabras de tema mercado, contratos.
No se nada de fiscalia, yo solo trabajo en el mercado.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 7, 2023
However, the 31-year-old has disregarded these reports. He has pledged to continue to do independent and impartial journalism. Fabrizio tweeted that he never invents false reports and never meddles with anyone’s statements. Though the allegations against FC Barcelona and Fabrizio haven’t been proven yet, it has certainly dented their reputation.
Dutch journalist accused Fabrizio Romano of plagiarism
The controversy surrounding his relationship with FC Barcelona is not the only time Fabrizio’s name has been dragged in the mud. Another complaint against the Italian journalist is his alleged plagiarism of news. Many journalists have accused Fabrizio Romano of stealing news articles from other prominent reporters.
Fabrizio Romano accused of plagiarism by De Telegraaf! “Romano is a kind of transfer guru, but he’s the number 1 copy-paste […] All of Europe thinks that Romano is above everyone, but he only steals exclusives from journos in all countries” said Marcel van der Kraan, Head of Sports at De Telegraaf
byu/betrofds insoccer
Marcel van der Kraan, the leading journalist of the Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf once accused Fabrizio of being a ‘copy-paste’ journalist. He also alleged, “All of Europe thinks that Romano is above everyone, but he only steals exclusives from journos in all countries.” The Dutch journalist accused Fabrizio of lacking authenticity and living off others’ hard work.
These allegations are certainly true when one examines Fabrizio’s news reports. He credits a lot of journalists like David Ornstein, Matteo Moretto, etc. for their reports on the soccer of England and Spain, respectively. However, Fabrizio has also broken some exclusive news that has caused upheaval in the soccer world.
He has a very good network of agents and players and can break very secret and sensitive pieces of information. The Italian journalist has done revolutionary work in the field of sports journalism, and his work cannot be discarded based merely on rumors.