Roma’s iconic badge appears to have been censored by Iranian state television on a program showing highlights of the club’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat to Barcelona.
A trip to the Camp Nou proved difficult for the Serie A club, as two own goals, combined with finishes from Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi, saw them dispatched 4-1 in the first leg.
An Edin Dzeko strike did get Roma a potentially valuable away goal, but the capital club has it all to do Tuesday to overturn a three-goal deficit when the teams reconvene for the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico.
And the highlights from that contest appeared to show sensitive material in the eyes of Iran TV’s producers — though it had nothing to do with the product on the field.
The Serie A club’s badge retells part of the story of Romulus and Remus, who, as legend has it, founded Rome. The story says the twins were nursed by a wolf, which is depicted on the badge.
The station blurred out the wolf’s teats when the badge appeared on television, with questionable effectiveness.
In fact, the move may well have brought more attention to it than if they had done nothing at all.
Of course, of greater concern for Roma will be the mountain they face if they want to reach the semi-finals of this year’s Champions League.
Before that showdown Tuesday, Roma also host Fiorentina, as they aim to finish top-three in Serie A.
