Jose Mourinho sacked as Roma end ex-Man Utd manager's reign six months early
Roma have sacked Jose Mourinho with immediate effect - less than six months before the end of his contract.
The 60-year-old was appointed as Roma boss in May 2021 and led the club to the Europa Conference League title in his first season, ending I Giallorossi's 11-year wait for a major trophy. Mourinho then guided them to the Europa League final during the 2022/23 campaign, before narrowly losing to Sevilla on penalties.
Roma currently sit ninth in the Serie A table after a disappointing first half to this season, collecting 29 points from their opening 20 matches. In fact, I Giallorossi have won just one of their last six league games dating back to the start of December, with a 3-1 defeat at AC Milan proving to be Mourinho's final game in charge.
A statement from Roma owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin read: "We thank Jose on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for the passion and commitment he has shown since his arrival in the Giallorossi.
"We will always have great memories of his stewardship, but we believe that, in the best interests of the club, immediate change is necessary. We wish Jose and his collaborators the best for the future."
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Mourinho replaced compatriot Paulo Fonseca at Roma ahead of the 2021/22 season as the club tried to improve on a seventh-place finish in Serie A. In an attempt to improve their fortunes, Roma spent big.
Tammy Abraham joined from Chelsea for £34million, while Rui Patricio and Matias Vina were also among Roma's most expensive arrivals in the summer of 2021. However, to adhere to UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations, Mourinho sanctioned the departure of several players, including Edin Dzeko, Javier Pastore and Pedro.
Mourinho won the Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022 (Getty Images)Do you think Roma have made the right decision? Let us know in the comments below!
Roma finished sixth in Mourinho's first season in charge - a slight improvement on the previous campaign - but it was their run in the Europa Conference League that caught the eye. I Giallorossi stormed to the last-16 of the competition after progressing through their group, before beating Vitesse and Bodo/Glimt to reach the semi-final, where they were drawn against Premier League opposition in Leicester.
Following a 1-1 draw in the semi-final first-leg, Mourinho's Roma edged past their opponents at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to Tammy Abraham's first-half header. That earned them a spot in the final against Dutch side Feyenoord, who beat Marseille to reach that stage of the competition. Roma ended up coming out on top in the final in Albania, as Nicolo Zaniola struck the winner to earn Mourinho his first trophy in charge.
But Roma have struggled to pick up wins this season (Getty Images)Last season, Roma finished in the exact same position on the exact same number of points as they did in the 2021/22 campaign - sixth on 63 points. However, once again, it was a run in Europe that sparked the attention as they reached the Europa League final, having beat the likes of Red Bull Salzburg, Real Sociedad and Bayer Leverkusen along the way.
In a drama-filled final, Roma would inevitably fall short on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra-time. That was Mourinho's first loss in a European final. After the game, he admitted he wanted to stay at the club amid concerns over his future.
Roma's budget was limited last summer and a number of players were either signed as free transfers or loan, including Evan Ndicka, Renato Sanches, Leandro Parades and Romelu Lukaku. After a difficult start to the season, Roma's form had picked up prior to their recent slump. I Giallorossi also crashed out of the Coppa Italia last week, after losing to arch rivals Lazio 1-0.
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