Zamparini resigns as Palermo president, ending trigger-happy reign

Maurizio Zamparini's fickle 15-year reign as Palermo's restless president has come to an end.

The Rosanero announced Monday the 75-year-old has resigned from his long-held pulpit to make way for the troubled Sicilian's new American ownership group.

A club statement also said a new president will be named within 15 days.

"The objective of the new owners is to restore the club to the position the city deserves, Europe, with a three-to-five-year program," it read.

Making nearly 40 coaching changes since taking over Palermo in 2002, according to numbers compiled by Reuters, Zamparini earned a reputation as a trigger-happy owner who would often fire and rehire the same managers.

Only two coaches lasted a full season: Francesco Guidolin in 2004-05 and Giuseppe Iachini in 2014-15.

Despite his hasty ways, Zamparini, who also owned Venezia for a time, did some good for Palermo. He helped the club win promotion to Serie A in 2004 for the first time in more than 30 years, and led a youth charge at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

The likes of Javier Pastore, Edinson Cavani, Paulo Dybala, and Andrea Belotti all came through Palermo before rising to stardom, and in the case of Pastore and Cavani, earning big-money moves to Paris Saint-Germain.

The southern Italian outfit narrowly avoided relegation last year after a dramatic 3-2 win over Hellas Verona on the final matchday of the campaign instead condemned Carpi to the second division. There were nine coaching changes during that whirlwind term - a high number even for Zamparini's standards.

But Palermo, currently in 18th place and seven points from safety, is now one of the favourites to return to Serie B.