AS Roma said Tuesday that they have
sacked coach José Mourinho and his backroom staff before
subsequently announcing they they had put club legend Daniele De
Rossi in charge until the end of the season.
Mourinho's dismissal comes after Roma last week lost 1-0 to
Lazio in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup, their fourth
defeat in six derbies under him, and were thumped 3-1 by AC
Milan at San Siro on Sunday, leaving them 22 points behind Serie
A leaders Inter in ninth place.
The Portuguese coach led Roma to the victory in the 2021-2022
Conference League in his first season in charge, their first
European title since the 1960-61 Fairs Cup, and to the final of
the Europa League last term in Budapest, where they lost to
Sevilla on penalties after several controversial refereeing
decisions.
The 'Special One' was frequently criticised for the quality of
the football Roma played under him and the acrimonious
relationship he and his players had with match officials during
his reign, with the coach frequently sent off the touchlines for
dissent and banned for criticising referees.
Until recently, however, he had enjoyed the staunch support of
the Roma faithful.
His immunity from flak from the Roma fans, however, appeared to
end with a graffiti criticising the team daubed on a wall
outside their training base after the Milan defeat.
"We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma
for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club," said
President Dan Friedkin and his son, Vice-President Ryan
Friedkin.
"We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but
we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of
the club.
"We wish José and his assistants all the best in their future
endeavours".
Former Italy midfielder De Rossi, 40, played his whole career
for Roma, except for a brief stint at Boca Juniors before he
hung up his boots in January 2020.
"I know no other way but dedication, daily sacrifices, and
giving everything I have in order to face the challenges that
await us from now until the end of the season," said De Rossi.
"The excitement of being able to sit on our bench is
indescribable. Everyone knows what Roma means to me. However,
the work that awaits us all has already taken precedence.
"We have no time or choice but to be competitive, fight for our
goals, and try to achieve them, which are the only priorities my
staff and I have set for ourselves." The born-and-bred Roman had
an unsuccessful stint as coach of SPAL in Serie B, Italian
soccer's second tier, last season.
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