Pallotta hails Curva Sud, underlines new stadium importance

Roma president James Pallotta rejected claims he has a vendetta against the Curva Sud, while arguing the club's proposed new stadium will see them bridge the gap to Juventus.

After the Serie A club unveiled plans for the Stadio della Roma on Monday, Pallotta claimed that the ability to control the revenue gained from game attendances will be critical to Roma's future.

One of the key factors to Juventus' recent success has been their club-owned stadium - one of only three in Serie A.

"I don't think we’re that far away from Juventus. I think we can compete and we can win," Pallotta said.

"It has to be said that Juve do have more turnover than us but when we have the new stadium, we'll have substantially more."

Pallotta, an American businessman, labelled the Curva Sud "idiots", which prompted another banner later in April that targeted the 57-year-old.

Speaking on Tuesday, Pallotta insisted the Curva Sud is "unbelievably important" for Roma, although he took the opportunity to again underline his intolerance of anti-social behaviour.

"I'm not against the Curva Sud. That's not factual at all," he added.

"I think the Curva Sud is an incredible force in football. I think they're unbelievably important for us. In the new stadium that will be more so because they'll only be nine metres away."