Roma CEO Souloukou resigns in fallout from De Rossi sacking.

Roma fans angry at the dismissal of Daniele De Rossi as head coach protested at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday as the club secured its first win of the Serie A season.

Hardcore Roma supporters showed their dissent by boycotting the first half hour of the game against league leaders Udinese, who Roma beat 3-0, with the debut of new coach Ivan Jurić.

A banner in the deserted Curva Sud stand accused the management of Roma, owned by the American billionaire Dan Friedkin, of not respecting "our values or flag bearers".

After the supporters entered the stadium they hurled abuse at select Roma players, in particular captain Lorenzo Pellegrini and Byran Cristante, over rumours that they had a hand in De Rossi being fired.

The match, which ended a long run of winless games for Roma, saw the club earn its first three points of the season in a reassuring start for the new head coach.

"The boys were very sad about Daniele being fired, they were very honest about it and I appreciated that" - Jurić said after the game - "We've worked really hard these past few days and it was really important to play as well as we did today."

Tensions over the abrupt sacking of club legend De Rossi, who played as a midfielder for Roma more than 600 times between 2001 and 2019, led to the resignation on Sunday of the club's CEO Lina Souloukou.

Roma fans largely blame the Greek sports executive for the sacking of De Rossi, just three months after he signed a three-year contract with his home club.

Italian media reported at the weekend that Souloukou and her family had been placed under police protection after a banner outside Roma's Trigoria training ground described her as "evil".

In a statement, the club on Sunday thanked Souloukou for "her dedicated service during a critical period for the club" and stressed that the ownership "remains fully committed to AS Roma's growth and success."

Photo Corriere dello Sport