Francesco Totti came off from the bench during As.Roma’s 1-0 win over Genoa and as the iconic player was just about to enter the playing grounds, Seydou Keita came up to Totti and attempted to give him the captaincy armband but Totti denied it and a video of this incident has gone viral.

It seems like Francesco Totti was telling Seydou Keita to return to his playing position and forget about the armband. This incident seems rather strange as Totti has spent his entire professional playing career performing with As.Roma and his love for the club is undeniable but refusing to take the captaincy armband has ignited a string of rumors where supporters of the club are calling that incident to be disrespectful towards the club but Seydou Keita has stated that what happened was a sign of reciprocal respect.

“My gesture towards Totti was normal and his insistence on not taking the armband was a sign of reciprocal respect. In Italy people have enjoyed the two gestures instead of making polemics and seeing problems where there are none.

Easy.”Seydou Keita wrote on his twitter account
It seems hard to believe that this is a sign or an incident of reciprocal respect as Francesco Totti was clearly seen being mad and frustrated towards Keita who was only trying to give the captaincy armband to its rightful owner but Totti denied it in angry manner as the veteran player and the coach, Rudi Garcia both were yelling out a series of orders as they wanted the midfielder to return to his playing position and get back into the game.

As.Roma later went off to win the match with a solo goal from RadjaNainggolan in the first half as the Belgium midfielder connected with a cross from Maicon and slotted the ball into the back of the net and this is a great result for As.Roma as they continue following Juventus closely behind at the top of the Italian League.