UNGRATEFUL ENGLISH
It’s a decision nobody can understand... what Claudio did was one of the greatest achievements the game has ever seen
AROUND the globe the condemnation of Leicester City’s sacking of Claudio Ranieri was deafening.
Perhaps the club’s Thai owners should be concerned by the anger sparked in Ranieri’s homeland.
A brotherhood of Italian star names united like a mafia to defend their compatriot’s honour.
They cannot understand how a man who led his team to the Premier League title in May could be so cruelly treated. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, a World Cup winner with Italy who played for Ranieri for two years at Juventus, said: “It’s difficult to understand the decision. In fact, I’m not sure it’s a decision anybody in football can understand.
“What he achieved last season wasn’t just a big story for the Premier League, but also for the whole of football.
“There’s so much respect and admiration for what he’s done at Leicester. I’m sure there will be no shortage of coaching jobs offered to him.
“In the next few days and weeks as things calm down he will decide on what’s the best next step for himself and his family.” Buffon accepts that despite success in the Champions League, Ranieri was under pressure as City slid towards the relegation zone.
But he added: “Of course football is a results industry, but what Claudio achieved last season was one of the greatest achievements the game has ever seen – one of the greatest surely there ever will be. They are still very much in the last 16 of the Champions League – with everything he’s achieved he should have been given time to change their league form.”
A £3million compensation pay-out will soften some of the blow to Ranieri. But Chelsea’s Antonio Conte, who is on course to succeed Ranieri as boss of the English champions, believes any club bowing to player power and sacking their manager is a “poor” one.
The Foxes pulled the trigger after senior players made complaints about Ranieri to owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Conte refused to accept a manager’s fate could be in the hands of his players. “It isn’t right,” said the Italian.
“The players don’t decide if a manager must be sacked or not because if this happens it means the club is poor.
“I don’t believe in this, I don’t trust in this and I don’t want to listen to this type of story because it’s frustrating for a manager to imagine the players can decide your destiny.”
Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s biggest selling sports newspaper, splashed the story on their front page with the headline “Ungrateful English”.
In Leicester, caretaker-boss Craig Shakespeare tried to play down talk of a players’ revolt.
Shakespeare, who would like the job full-time, will be in charge when Liverpool visit on Monday night and was well aware of the hostile media spotlight he was under.
He said: “I’ve been asked to come along this afternoon and I feel a bit like a pantomime villain sitting here. But I’ve got to answer your questions.
“My relationship always has and always will be fine with Claudio.
“You don’t get much time nowadays, and this is somebody who has won the league. But ultimately I have to respect the owners’ decision, they are doing what they think is best for the football club.
“Whether I think it’s the right decision is irrelevant. The owners have made that decision and we have to respect that.
“We all know results haven’t been good enough this season.”
While the players fell out of love with Ranieri, Shakespeare remains very popular in the dressing room, although he accepts that may not be the case now he is caretaker manager.
“I have to be myself, he said. “I’ve worked with some very good managers but I would say I am determined to stay the same.
“I want to be myself because I think people read into that and I think you have to do that in football.
“I spoke with Claudio last night, we had a conversation, he thanked me for my support, I thanked him.
“It wasn’t a brief phone call, we exchanged views, a lot will remain private but we did thank each other.”