Gary Lineker condemned Leicester City’s decision to sack Claudio Ranieri as “unexplianable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly, sad”.
Ranieri, who led the relegation-tipped club to a remarkable Premier League title victory last season just nine months ago, was relieved of his duties on Thursday night.
Leicester currently sit one point above the Premier League’s relegation zone and seem destined to be involved in a battle against the drop in the season’s closing months.
The Italian’s departure was confirmed in a statement on the club’s official website, which claimed that “a change of leadership, while admittedly painful, is necessary in the club’s greatest interest.”
Lineker, the former Leicester striker and the club’s most high-profile supporter, took to Twitter to lambaste the decision to part company with Ranieri.
He tweeted: “After all that Claudio Ranieri has done for Leicester City, to sack him now is inexplicable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly sad.”
Ranieri, who was named FIFA’s Coach of the Year just last month, signed a new four-year contract with Leicester last August.
His departure comes just a day after his side's creditable 2-1 away defeat in their last-16 first leg against Sevilla.
“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 Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the club’s vice-chairman, in a statement.
“His warmth, charm and charisma have helped transform perceptions of the club and develop its profile on a global scale. We will forever be grateful to him for what he has helped us to achieve,” he added.
Roberto Mancini, Alan Pardew and former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson are among the earlyfavourites to replace Ranieri at the King Power Stadium.
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