Owners in hot water over Ranieri sacking
Vilified owner Vichai defends shock decision to fire popular title-winning coach, says there are ‘a million things’ to be done to put the Foxes’ house in order and retain their place in the English Premier League
Claudio Ranieri admitted his dream had died after he was ruthlessly sacked as Leicester manager in a brutal move that brought the wrath of the football world down on the troubled champions’ Thai owners. Ranieri was axed barely two weeks after the owners gave him their “unwavering support” despite disastrous results that have left Leicester just one point above the relegation zone.
Leading Premier League bosses including Jose Mourinho and Juergen Klopp expressed dismay at the move and backed Ranieri, who only last month was named Fifa’s coach of the year for scripting one of the most unbelievable stories in football.
British media also aimed withering criticism at Leicester’s Thai owners, King Power, who said they had no choice but to oust Ranieri.
The owners were “snakes”, “brutal”, “cruel”, commentators said amid reports Ranieri had lost the backing of senior players over his tactical tinkering.
The popular 65-year-old Italian admitted the decision was a huge blow as he had dreamt of staying in charge of Leicester for the rest of his career.
“Yesterday my dream died,” Ranieri said. “After the euphoria of last season and being crowned Premier League champions all I dreamt of was staying with Leicester City, the club I love, for always. Sadly this was not to be.”
Despite the pain of his abrupt exit, Ranieri was determined not to sound a bitter note.
“The adventure was amazing and will live with me forever,” he added.
“My heartfelt thanks to everybody at the club, all the players, the staff, everybody who was there and was part of what we achieved.
“It was a time of wonderfulness and happiness that I will never forget. It’s been a pleasure and an honour to be a champion with all of you.”
Mourinho sympathised with Ranieri after being axed by Chelsea last season following a rift with star players and the Manchester United boss turned up for his press conference on Friday with the initials CR on his training gear in tribute to the Italian.
“It is my little homage to somebody that wrote the most beautiful history of the Premier League,” Mourinho said.
“Somebody that probably deserves the Leicester stadium to be named ‘Claudio Ranieri’ — and he is sacked.”
Liverpool manager Klopp was baffled by the decision, describing it as a seismic shock on the same level as Brexit and Donald Trump’s election as US president.
“For me there have been a few strange decisions in 16/17: Brexit, Trump, Ranieri. Do I have to understand it all the time — obviously not. I have no idea why Leicester did this,” he told reporters on Friday.
“He is a really special person in this business, a really nice guy.”
Chelsea chief Antonio Conte, a compatriot and close friend of Ranieri, said: “I’m very, very sad. He’s a really good man. For sure I’ll call him.”
Former Leicester and England striker Gary Lineker, now a television pundit, added: “I shed a tear last night — I shed a tear for Claudio, I shed a tear for football and I shed a tear for my club.”
But Leicester insisted they had to act to save the club from the threat of an unprecedented relegation one year after winning the title.
Leicester have won just five of their 25 league games this term and are yet to score a league goal in 2017, having also been knocked out of the FA Cup by thirdtier Millwall.
Relegation could cost Leicester more than £100 million.
Chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who bought the club seven years ago, went onto Instagram to defend his actions.
“We have done our best as a management,” he said in a statement before closing his account on the site. “We do not have only one problem to solve but there are a million things to do to make our club survive.”
Assistant manager Craig Shakespeare and Mike Stowell will take caretaker charge ahead of tomorrow’s match against Liverpool.
Amid reports England striker Jamie Vardy, who has failed to recapture the prolific form that fired Leicester to the title, and Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel were among the players most unhappy with Ranieri, it was notable that the Foxes squad didn’t take to social media to support their departed boss.
Vardy scored a vital away goal in Leicester’s 2-1 loss at Sevilla in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 round on Wednesday.
Shakespeare admitted he felt uncomfortable when he appeared before the media on Friday and fielded a question on the timing of the Italian’s dismissal, amid claims of a revolt from senior players and a breakdown in his own relationship with his former boss.
“That’s a question for the owners and the club,” 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 focus is definitely on the Liverpool game.
“With regard to the timing of it, I have to respect the owners’ decisions.”
Asked about his claim that he feels like a villain, Shakespeare said: “I can do nothing about that.
“I have to be myself. I have 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.”
Ranieri returned to Leicester’s training ground on Friday afternoon to collect his belongings while the players accused of turning against him took a day off ahead of tomorrow’s game.
But Shakespeare is open to the idea of Ranieri making another visit to say his goodbyes to former colleagues, with whom he delivered the Premier League’s most unlikely title triumph last season.
“Personally I wouldn’t have any problems with it and I am sure the club wouldn’t,” he said.
Whether Ranieri would opt to speak to his former charges is debatable, however, with the 65-year-old thought to feel let down by some members of his title-winning side, who are just a point and a place above the relegation zone.
Shakespeare was also left facing questions about the rewards of last season, including lucrative new contracts and expensive club cars, that were given to many key members of the squad and backroom staff.
That has led to accusations from some fans that players’ hunger has been blunted by the trappings of success.
“It’s always a Catch 22 situation,” said Shakespeare, who said suggestions that senior players had complained to the club about Ranieri’s methods was “news to me”.
“If you don’t reward them, people would go to other places. We would have lost very good players.
“So the club itself was in a Catch 22 situation. Nowadays we look at the other clubs and the money they’ve spent, and I’m sure we’re not on the budget of some of them.
“But you know what, we deserved to win the league last year. We won it by 10 points in the end.
“On the training pitch, their focus has been very good, very professional. “It’s a joy to work with them at times.”
Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, who had a brief spell as a Leicester player in 2001, was among names mentioned as a possible successor.
Guus Hiddink, who helped arrest Chelsea’s decline last season, and Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill are also possible candidates.