Some 500 Roma fans unveiled banners and sang chants asking owner Rosella Sensi to sell the club at a largely peaceful protest at their training ground yesterday.

Two takeover attempts have fallen through in the past two years but pharmaceutical magnate Francesco Angelini has expressed fresh interest in bidding for the Serie A side.

Roma's lack of funds and their difficulties in the transfer market contributed to popular coach Luciano Spalletti's resignation on Tuesday, with Sensi quickly bringing in Rome-born Claudio Ranieri to try to placate angry supporters.

The protestors dispersed after several hours, with media reporting that four firecrackers had been thrown at the training ground entrance.

It began in the morning when the fans hung up a giant banner opposite Sensi's home, Villa Pacelli, with statements such as: "Enough is enough," and "Go away Rosella". Some 100 fans from clubs across Italy also held a meeting in Rome yesterday to decide how to proceed in their protests against a government plan to make all fans use electronic "supporter cards" for away matches from January.

The government believes the initiative will make it easier to police matches and electronically track Italy's notorious football hooligans, but fans feel it is an invasion of privacy.