Thankfully, we have jobs that are not as riddled with insecurity as that of a football manager. You can be the cock of the walk when things are going right, but a string of bad performances and the whole blame is placed on your shoulders. Recently, Claudio Ranieri was sacked as the Leicester City manager despite helping them win the English Premier League last season.
We look at his and some other such shocking sackings/exits in football history.
Claudio Ranieri
When Leicester City started the 2015-16 season, the odds of them winning the title were 5000:1. Ranieri managed to achieve this impossibility, but his next season as a manager wasn’t just as successful and he was sacked midway. Considering his contribution, we think he should have been given more time.
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho was sacked twice by Chelsea, but his first sacking in 2007 was more controversial considering he had masterminded two EPL victories in his three year tenure among other trophies. It didn’t stop the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ from succeeding though and he won the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010.
Roberto Mancini
An year after leading Manchester City to a superb EPL victory, and ended the club’s long trophy drought in the league. However, an year after their victory, Mancini was sacked because he failed to achieve any of the club’s targets. The sacking came as a shock since it’s not possible to win every season and City should have given him more years at the helm.
Bela Guttman
In 1962, Guttman was refused a pay rise by Benfica despite winning two consecutive European Cups. The aftermath was ugly, and Guttman even cursed the club saying that they will not win another European title in 100 years. Interestingly, the curse is still alive and Benfica have failed to win despite reaching the finals several times.
Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo did what no one expected him to, which is to lead a Chelsea side to a Champions League victory. However, his tenure didn’t last long and he was sacked next season as his team struggled both in EPL and Champions League. His exit was certainly hasty, since it is normal for teams to dip their form after a successful season. Di Matteo should have been given more time.
