Leicester fires manager as relegation looms

Masterminding one of the greatest upsets in sporting history wasn’t enough for Claudio Ranieri to keep his job at Leicester.

Ranieri was fired by Leicester on Thursday, nine months after the 65-year-old Italian manager guided the club to the English Premier League title at preseason odds of 5,0001.

Leicester’s Thai owners took the drastic measure with soccer’s ultimate fairytale threatening to have an unhappy ending. In a dreadful title defense, the team is one point and one place above the relegation zone and in serious danger of losing its status in the world’s most lucrative league.