Mariga’s Coach Jose Mourinho Sacked

Two times Uefa Champions League winning manager Jose Mourinho has been sacked after two-and-a-half years in charge at Roma.

The Portuguese coach who coached Kenya’s former national team captain McDonald Mariga into Uefa Champions League glory at Inter Milan was shown the door after Giallorossi won one of their last six Serie A games and were recently knocked out of the Coppa Italia by city rivals Lazio, where Mourinho was sent off.

Mourinho was on a £10 million annual salary at Roma which makes him the second highest earning manager in a league that has managers taking home even less than a million.

Mourinho’s package is only bettered by Juventus’ Massimiliano Allegri who is on an annual salary of £13 million.

Apart from the two top coaches, no other manager is anywhere close to double figures in terms of annual salary, with only Luciano Spaletti at Napoli pocketing an annual salary of £6.8 million.

A Roma statement read: “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.

“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 Jose and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”

Former Roma captain De Rossi was announced as Mourinho’s successor on Tuesday afternoon. Sky in Italy understands De Rossi will take charge until June, with the club having an option to renew his contract based on achievements and results.

Roma are ninth in Serie A, 22 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Mourinho joined Roma in 2021 and spent two-and-a-half years in the role, leading them to the Europa Conference League title in 2022.

The 60-year-old also guided Roma to the Europa League final last season, where they were defeated by Sevilla on penalties. His contract was due to expire in June.

On Tuesday morning, Roma owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin summoned Mourinho to the Trigoria training ground in person.

Sky Italy understands this was not a sudden decision.

The owners told Mourinho of their decision, which was thought out, considering the way the whole season – and particularly the last month – has been going. The club’s ownership believe this is the right time to change direction.

Roma’s training session was cancelled as a result – they host 18th-placed Verona on Saturday.

Former Chelsea coaches Graham Potter and Antonio Conte are being considered for the role as Mourinho’s replacements.