“I get 1.45 million won for posts and 8 million won for videos”
Fabrizio Romano, a journalist who keeps up with European soccer news, has been caught up in a shocking scandal.
“Danish media have named the transfer expert as a potential key figure in a transfer scandal,” World Soccer Talk reported on February 2 (KST). It alleged that Romano was paid by players’ representatives or clubs to post on social media.
Romano, an Italian soccer journalist, has been known for his quick and accurate information on the soccer transfer market since the 2020s, and his signature phrase, “Here we go,” has become so popular in Korea that it has become known as the “Romano special,” meaning that a transfer is virtually confirmed when Romano mentions it.
However, he was involved in a scandal. According to the media, Romano was involved in the situation with Copenhagen prospect Rooney Vardagji. Here’s the situation. The 2005-born player made his professional debut in Copenhagen in 2021. He kept getting more and more opportunities, scoring seven goals in 10 games this season and becoming the second best scorer in the league.
Making a name for himself Rooney came on as a second-half substitute in the fourth leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage against Manchester United and rattled the net with a spectacular volley to secure a 4-3 victory. Naturally, he was on the radar of Europe’s biggest clubs.
However, for some reason, Rooney has been left out of Copenhagen’s first team roster since this year. According to World Soccer Football, “Rooney”s contract with Copenhagen expires in 2025. However, there has been no official word on a new contract as of yet,” World Soccer Football explained.
“Rooney has been linked with potential clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United. However, so far, these links have not yielded any results. Earlier this week, Romano told his fans that Rooney had been dropped from the Copenhagen first team due to a contract dispute.”
“Rooney is one of the best talents in Europe, but it’s strange,” Romano said on social media. He is the top scorer in Copenhagen with 10 goals, but in 2024 he played 0 minutes. The reason is that Rooney has no intention of signing a new long-term contract. He has only 18 months left on his contract and several clubs are monitoring him,” the source said.
However, Copenhagen strongly denied the reports. According to World Soccer Talk, “Copenhagen categorically denied Romano’s story. As a result, Romano became the subject of an investigation by the Danish media. Tipsbladet’s editor, Trelleborg Togerson, made shocking allegations,” the site reported.
Togerson’s argument is simple. That Romano’s reporters are sponsored to break the news. “Togerson said Romano has tried to negotiate sponsorship deals with 토토 soccer clubs,” World Soccer Talk reported. The clubs pay Romano for mentions on his social media accounts. Furthermore, the players’ representatives made it clear that they planted Rooney’s narrative.”
Togerson added: “I am aware that Romano is being hailed as a god on social media. I would say that he often gets his information from the players’ agents and becomes a spokesperson for their opinions. (In Rooney’s case) it looks like the players’ representatives want to send a message to put pressure on Copenhagen. This is not journalism,” he strongly criticized.
“This is a business where clubs and agents have to pay for publicity and it can never be categorized as journalism. What may look like journalism is driven by pure commercial interests.”
Charles Boehm, a journalist who covers soccer in the United States, has gone as far as to say on his social media accounts that he is paid “up to $1,100 per social media post and up to $6,000 for a video shoot.”
In response to these criticisms, Romano remains tight-lipped. “Romano declined an interview request from a Danish magazine,” World Thinker Talk reported. He now has 20 million followers on his X (formerly Twitter), 2 million on YouTube, and 27 million on Instagram.”
