Rome derby Lazio match moved to Monday evening after Foro Italico safety concerns

Rome’s derby against Lazio, a key fixture in the race for European qualification, has been shifted to Monday evening after public safety concerns tied to the Italian Open tennis final at the Foro Italico complex.

With just days remaining before the penultimate round of Serie A matches, the Rome derby was originally scheduled to kick off at 12:30 p.m. local time on Sunday alongside four other games involving teams fighting for the final Champions League places. The scheduling plan required the matches involving Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan, Roma and Como to be played simultaneously. However, local authorities ordered the derby to move after scheduling overlap with the men’s singles tennis final, set for 5 p.m. at the same venue area, citing safety fears.

The Lega Serie A proposed an alternative start time of 12 p.m. for the derby while pushing the tennis match to 5:30 p.m., but the proposal was rejected by Rome authorities. The league then lodged a formal appeal with the Regional Administrative Tribunal on Wednesday night. Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri, speaking after his team’s Coppa Italia defeat to Inter Milan, blamed the Lega Serie A for the overlap and said he would not attend...