Former Roma captain Francesco Totti left his position within the club's management on Monday in a move that will increase fan opposition to the team's American owner. While he has been a technical director since retiring from playing two years ago, Totti said he was left out of decisions about the hiring and firing of coaches and moves in the player transfer market.

"I never had the chance to express myself. They never involved me," Totti said. "The first year that can happen but by the second (year) I understood what they wanted to do. ... They knew of my desire to offer a lot to this squad but they never wanted it. They kept me out of everything. "It's a day that I hoped never would have come," Totti added in a news conference at the Italian Olympic Committee.