Ranieri fired by Leicester City after wretched run of form
From unlikely Premier League champion to the scrap heap.
Leicester City fired manager Claudio Ranieri on Thursday, nine months after the affable Italian and his rag-tag group of players defied 5,000-1 odds to reach the summit of English football.
"This has been the most difficult decision we have had to make in nearly seven years since King Power took ownership of Leicester City. But we are duty-bound to put the club's long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment, no matter how strong that might be," said vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in a statement.
The decision to part ways with Ranieri came after a 2-1 defeat at Sevilla, which was one of the more positive losses in a season of many. Leicester is still in contention for the quarter-finals of the Champions League as it prepares for the return leg at the King Power Stadium on March 14.
But as a whole, the Foxes have offered one of the worst title defences in Premier League history. They're just one point above the drop zone with 13 matches remaining, and have yet to score a league goal in 2017. They are in real danger of becoming the first English champion since Manchester City in 1938 to be relegated.
Related: Leicester's Cinderella story nearing unhappily ever after
Leicester gave Ranieri a vote of confidence on Feb. 7, stating its "unwavering support" for the manager, but apart from a win over Derby County in cup action, nothing seemed to change in the time since.
"It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Indeed, survival in the Premier League was our first and only target at the start of the campaign," added Srivaddhanaprabha. "But we are now faced with a fight to reach that objective and feel a change is necessary to maximise the opportunity presented by the final 13 games."
Assistant manager Paolo Benetti and conditioning coach Andrea Azzalin also parted company with the east Midlands outfit.
Craig Shakespeare and Mike Stowell will take charge of the squad ahead of Monday's clash against Liverpool.