Roma Players Disappointed by de Rossi Sacking, Juric Says 

Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)
Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)
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Roma Players Disappointed by de Rossi Sacking, Juric Says 

Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)
Roma’s head coach Ivan Juric looks on during the Italian Serie A match between AS Roma vs Udinese Calcio at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 22 September 2024. (EPA)

New AS Roma coach Ivan Juric said his players were disappointed by the sacking of Daniele De Rossi, but he was pleased with their performance as they clinched their first Serie A win of the season by beating Udinese 3-0 on Sunday.

De Rossi, who spent nearly two decades at Roma as a player, was sacked on Wednesday after his team failed to win any of their first four league games. Former Torino coach Juric was appointed as his replacement.

Roma's CEO Lina Souloukou stepped down on Sunday due to the fans' anger over De Rossi's sacking.

"Upon becoming coach, I saw that some of the guys here were extremely disappointed about Daniele´s sacking," Juric told Sky Sports.

"They were very honest with me in telling me that they were very upset about him being fired. It's something I really appreciated, because sometimes players hide such emotions.

"In the last few days they have worked well and put in many hours... I really liked how the team responded, especially in the first half."

Roma, who have six points from five matches, host Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League on Thursday, before facing Venezia in Serie A on Sunday.

"We’ve got a large squad which allows me to shake things up. In the next two weeks we'll see a lot of rotation," Juric added.



Toyota Confirms it Will End Olympics, Paralympics Sponsorship

Akio Toyoda (Reuters)
Akio Toyoda (Reuters)
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Toyota Confirms it Will End Olympics, Paralympics Sponsorship

Akio Toyoda (Reuters)
Akio Toyoda (Reuters)

Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda confirmed on Thursday the company will not renew its 10-year contract as a top sponsor for the Olympics and Paralympics following the Paris Games.
The world's biggest automaker, which had already suggested it would not renew the contract when it expired, will continue to financially support athletes, Toyoda said in the company-owned media channel.
Earlier this month, Panasonic Holdings announced it would also end its 37-year contract as a top sponsor after it became an official partner of the Olympic Games in 1987, according to Reuters.
The International Olympics Committee saw revenues of $2.295 billion from its top sponsors for the period 2017-2021, the second-biggest source of income for the Olympic movement, with broadcasters paying $4.544 billion over the same period.