Car accident leaves AS Roma director in ICU

AS Roma's goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis gestures during their Italian Serie A soccer match against Inter Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan on October 5, 2013. [Reuters, Giampiero Sposito]

AS Roma director Morgan De Sanctis is in intensive care following a car accident in the Italian capital on Tuesday night.

The 43-year-old former Italy goalkeeper was rushed to hospital after a serious incident on Rome’s busy Via Cristoforo Colombo, Italian media reports said.

De Sanctis underwent an operation on an abdominal haemorrhage, where his spleen was removed.

Soccer Football - Serie A - Crotone v AS Roma - Stadio Ezio Scida, Crotone, Italy - January 6, 2021 AS Roma's Borja Mayoral celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates [Reuters, /Alessandro Garofalo]

He is understood to now be conscious and in a stable condition following surgery.

The Italian, who represented the likes of Udinese, Napoli and Roma during his playing career, returned to the capital club in a backroom role in 2017 following his retirement.