Roma president to pay fine for jumping into historic fountain after beating Barcelona in Champions League
James Pallotta also pledges to donate €230,000 to fix another Rome fountain in front of the Pantheon and apologises to mayor
Roma president James Pallotta agreed to pay a fine and apologised to Mayor Virginia Raggi on Wednesday after jumping into a downtown fountain to celebrate the team’s win over Barcelona.
Surrounded by a crowd of flag-waving Roma fans, Pallotta threw himself backwards in his dress shirt and trousers into a fountain in the Piazza del Popolo.
UNBELIEVABLE! Roma president Pallotta throwing himself in the fountain surrounded by fans! pic.twitter.com/tqSnehrMbp— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) April 10, 2018
“I want to thank the mayor for my well-deserved fountain fine of 450 euros,” Pallotta said. “Certainly I got caught in the excitement.”
Pallotta, a Boston executive who was part of the four-man American team that bought Roma in 2011, is also a minority owner of the Boston Celtics.
“We spoke and he apologised,” Raggi said. “He did it in a moment of excitement but he realises the importance of the example he needs to provide. And clearly he’ll pay the fine.”
Pallotta met Raggi on Wednesday for a previously scheduled meeting and pledged to donate €230,000 to restore another fountain, in front of the Pantheon.
“I don’t want to encourage other people to jump into fountains, except if they want to fix a fountain,” Pallotta said.
Roma is still seeking final approval to start construction on a new stadium inspired by the Colosseum.
