adminClaudio Ranieri has opened up about the “unbelievable” reason Claudio Ranieri was sacked by Leicester City in February 2017 just nine months after leading them to one of the greatest title wins in football history.
The Foxes stunned everyone by winning the Premier League in 2015–16 as 1000-1 outsiders. But the fairytale didn’t last. The following season quickly turned messy, and results dropped badly.
Leicester found themselves dragged into a relegation fight not long after celebrating their title. Balancing domestic football with the UEFA Champions League proved too much for the squad.
Even though Ranieri guided them into the knockout stage in Europe, things were falling apart in the league. A run of five straight defeats left them just one point above the drop zone by February and the board decided it was time for a change.
His assistant, Craig Shakespeare, stepped in as interim boss. He steadied things quickly, kept the club in the Premier League, and even led a memorable comeback against Sevilla FC in the Champions League.
Still, many fans felt Ranieri deserved more time after what he achieved. Now, he’s revealed there was more going on behind the scenes than people realised.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, Ranieri admitted the decision hit him hard. Nine months after winning the title, he was out and he didn’t fully understand why at the time. Later, he was told by the chairman’s son that tensions with some English members of staff played a role.
According to Ranieri, the issue had actually started during the title-winning season. One staff member had been speaking negatively about him to players. He confronted the situation but chose not to act immediately because the team was in the middle of a title race.
After they won the league, the mood was so positive that he decided to let it go something he now sees as a mistake. The same staff member, he says, continued the behaviour into the following season.
On the pitch, Ranieri insists the drop-off didn’t surprise him. He had already warned that repeating the title run would be almost impossible, especially with Champions League football added to the schedule.
The physical and mental demands caught up with the team. Performances against big sides were still solid, but the extra strain showed in matches against smaller teams and that’s where crucial points were lost.
Looking back, Ranieri says he accepted the sack as part of football. It hurt, but not more than other dismissals he had faced. What they achieved together at Leicester still outweighed everything else.
After leaving the club, Ranieri went on to manage teams like FC Nantes, Fulham FC, and Watford FC, before returning to AS Roma, where he now works in a senior advisory role.
Leicester, meanwhile, did find success again after his exit. Under Brendan Rodgers, they won the FA Cup and finished fifth in the league twice.
But things have taken a turn again. The club were relegated from the Premier League last season, and now they’re staring at another drop. Sitting 23rd in the Championship with just three games left, eight points from safety, and no wins in their last six, the situation looks bleak especially after losing an appeal over a six-point deduction for financial rule breaches.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
admin
