Mourinho sacked by Roma after season of struggle in Serie A
Jose Mourinho was removed as Roma manager “with immediate effect” yesterday, ending a turbulent time at the Serie A club for the veteran coach.
The decision came two days after a 3-1 defeat at AC Milan left Roma in ninth place in Serie A and at risk of missing out on the Champions League for a sixth straight season.
Roma, who are 22 points behind league leaders Inter Milan, said the decision was made with the “best interests” of the team in mind.
“AS Roma can confirm that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement.
“We would like to thank Jose on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club,” club owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin added in the statement.
“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interest of the club.
“We wish Jose and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Roma have taken just four points from their last five league matches and were eliminated from the Coppa Italia last week in a 1-0 defeat to rivals Lazio.
Following that loss, Mourinho had likened himself to fictional wizard Harry Potter, saying his position at the club was raising fans’ expectations for success.
Mourinho, who said last month that he wanted to extend his contract at Roma, could be headed to a club in Saudi Arabia or a national team position.
Mourinho replaced Paulo Fonseca as Roma’s head coach in May 2021 and guided them to a sixthplaced finish and the Europa Conference League title in his first season.
Roma finished in sixth place in Serie A again last term and reached the Europa League final in Budapest, where they lost 4-1 on penalties to Sevilla after a 1-1 draw.
He won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups during two spells in charge of Chelsea after winning the Champions League with Porto.
The 60-year-old also secured the treble – including the Champions League – as manager of Inter Milan, won La Liga with Real Madrid and triumphed in the Europa League with Manchester United.
Former Roma captain Daniele De Rossi has been appointed manager until the end of the season.
He has little pedigree as a coach, his only job at SPAL lasting just four months last season, which finished with the team being relegated to the third-tier Serie C.