Roma Fires Jose Mourinho, Replaces With Former Club Player Daniele De Rossi
Italian football club AS Roma has sacked Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff “with immediate effect” and appointed former club player Daniele De Rossi as head until June 30, 2024. AS Roma also confirmed that ‘The Special One’ Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect.
Mourinho was unveiled as the Giallorossi’s coach in May 2021 and had led the team to win the Conference League in Tirana on May 25, 2022, and to the Europa League final in Budapest last season, but the manager, who had some successful spells in England, Spain, Portugal and Italy earlier with Chelsea, Real Madrid, Porto and Inter Milan, was going through a turbulent time in Roma. The club is placed 9th in the Serie A, after it faced a defeat by the hands of AC Milan two days ago.
“We would like to thank José 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 José and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours,” ,” said club owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin.
De Rossi, meanwhile, is returning home as head coach, with his first game being the club”s upcoming Serie A match against Verona on Saturday evening at the Stadio Olimpico.
“We are happy to be able to hand over the managerial role of AS Roma to Daniele De Rossi, as we feel that the leadership and ambition that have always defined him can prove decisive in achieving the team”s objectives until the end of the season,” said the owners in a statement.
“We were aware of Daniele’s unbreakable bond with the club, but his enthusiasm for accepting the position for the next few months convinced us even more of his ability to be a guide for the players and a proud representative of the club”s values. Welcome home, Daniele,” they added.
Born in Rome and a graduate of the club”s academy, Daniele joined AS Roma as a teenager in 2000, making his first-team debut in 2001 before quickly establishing himself as one of the world”s best midfielders.
“I would like to thank the Friedkin family for entrusting me with the responsibility of Roma”s head coach role. From my side, I know no other way but dedication, daily sacrifices, and giving everything I have in order to face the challenges that await us from now until the end of the season,” said De Rossi.
De Rossi made 616 appearances and scored 63 goals for the Giallorossi in all competitions, ranking second in the club”s all-time appearance record.
At club level, he won the Coppa Italia twice, in 2007 and 2008, along with one Supercoppa in 2007.
In addition to his record-breaking accomplishments with Roma, Rossi has also had a successful international career.
He played 117 games in the Italian shirt, and has represented the Azzurri in eight major international competitions. In 2006, he won the World Cup with his Roma teammates, Francesco Totti and Simone Perrotta. After retiring from football, De Rossi joined the Italian national team”s coaching staff, where he lifted the European Championship trophy on July 11th, 2021, at Wembley Stadium, before taking over as head coach of SPAL last season.
