A plethora of Boston Facebook pages have become a central setting in a global protest staged by Italian soccer fans against American ownership. James Pallotta, a Boston native, is the president and co-owner of Italian soccer club AS Roma. Fans are blaming Pallotta — a co-owner since 2011 — for the club’s recent decision to not re-sign longtime midfielder Daniele De Rossi.

This decision, made by a soccer team on another continent, has had a major ripple effect for Boston. Thousands of Facebook comments directed at Pallotta have peppered Boston pages for much of the past week. As passionate as Boston sports fans are, their Roman counterparts have taken things to the next level.