LONDON: Claudio Ranieri has been fired as Greece coach following their shock 1-0 defeat to the Faroe Islands in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Friday night.
Ranieri, who had only been in charge for four months since taking over from former boss Fernando Santos after the 2014 World Cup, leaves Greece rock bottom of Group F following four successive defeats so far.
The writing looked to be on the wall for the former Chelsea and Monaco boss after the game, with a statement from Hellenic Football Federation president Giorgos Sarris all about confirming Ranieri would soon be relieved of his duties.
His compensation deal should see him get a €1.6 million (RM6.7 million) payout as his two-year contract — worth €800,000 annually — may have to be paid in full.
Sarris said: “Following today’s devastating result for the national team, I take full responsibility for the most unfortunate choice of coach, which has resulted in such a poor image of the national team being put before the fans.
“The governing board will convene and take responsibility among all the members to make the necessary changes needed to avoid a repeat of such an embarrassing night.”
The defeat at home to the Faroe Islands, who in turn recorded just their 20th win since beginning international play in 1988, represented a new low.
Joan Edmundsson’s 61st minute goal settled the contest in Athens, and earned the Faroe Islands their first competitive victory in three years.
The 63-year-old, whose first job in international management was with Greece, took responsibility for the latest setback for the 2004 European Champions after the game, but remained defiant in his post-match press conference.
“Apparently the opponents were better than us. I am responsible for this result, as for the previous negative results. It is too early to evaluate the date. We cannot talk about anything else, and yes, I will continue,” Ranieri said at the post-match press conference surprising reporters who had expected his resignation.
Ranieri said that “everything can be corrected through hard work. This is the key. Nobody believed that we would be here (last place). We made the mistake of believing that it was an easy group but things in football are not like that.” Agencies