Roma players didn’t expect José Mourinho’s sacking when they arrived at Trigoria this morning and were personally informed by club owner Dan Friedkin, reports Sky Sport Italia.
Roma confirmed Mourinho’s sacking with an official statement on Tuesday morning and are expected to hire club legend Daniele De Rossi as his replacement.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Roma players were unaware of the club’s decision this morning when they arrived for a training session in Trigoria, scheduled to start at 10:30 local time, 9:30 GMT.
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Mourinho’s assistant Salvatore Foti arrived at the training ground one hour after Roma’s announcement and was ‘nearly in tears’ reports Sky Sport Italia.
Dan Friedkin had travelled to Rome from the USA to inform the player and Mourinho about his decision. According to the report, the morning training session has been postponed to the afternoon and will be led by De Rossi.
Dan and Ryan Friedkin said: “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.”
According to Calciomercato.com, Roma owners were highly unhappy with results under Mourinho this season. The Giallorossi sit 9th in the Serie A table but have the third wage bill in Serie A.
They have also been eliminated from the Coppa Italia at the hands of city rivals Lazio and failed to win their Europa League group which included Sheriff, Servette and Slavia Praha.