JOSE MOURINHO has been sacked as manager of Roma.
The veteran boss spent two-and-a-half years in charge of the Serie A club and won the Europa Conference League in his first season in charge.
But he struggled in Serie A, finishing sixth twice in his two full seasons in charge.
Roma are ninth in the table this campaign and have decided to part ways with Mourinho, who has been sacked for the sixth time in his career.
Roma released a statement confirming his departure which reads: “We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club.
“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.
“We wish José and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Mourinho, 60, has had a turbulent spell in Rome which has been marred by his ill discipline on the touchline.
Last season he received three red cards for his touchline antics, in addition to a further trio of bookings.
The Portuguese didn’t clean up his act this term, being sent off against Monza in October for telling opposite number Raffaele Palladino: “You talk a lot and then you cry.”
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Last season, Mourinho tore into Serie A referee Daniele Chiffi after claiming to have “worn a wire” in order to protect himself from sanctions.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss said of Chiffi: “He is the worst referee I have met in my life.
“He is the worst. Technically he’s horrible. Zero empathy. Zero communication. Zero awareness.”
Earlier this month Mourinho was red carded during his side’s drab 1-1 draw with Atalanta.
Just last week, Mourinho was dismissed for the second match in a row after a violent and chaotic Rome derby in which his side lost 1-0 to Lazio.
It was his sixth red card across the last two seasons – more than any player in Serie A.
As his tenure began to unravel, the Italian media also found themselves in Mourinho’s firing line.
Following a 2-1 win over Sassuolo last month he refused to speak Italian after the match, despite being fluent.
Instead, he bizarrely only spoke Portuguese, with an interpreter translating for confused local reporters.
A few weeks later things spiralled even further, with Mourinho snubbing the media altogether after his red card against Atalanta.
Defeat to rivals Lazio knocked Roma out of the Coppa Italia, with a defiant Mourinho labelling himself Harry Potter because he raises fan expectations.
He said: “The Roma fans are the most incredible I have seen. Their coach is Jose ‘Harry Potter’ Mourinho and he raises expectations.
“I don’t know how many derbies I’ve played, 200, 150, they are always special matches. I’ve won, I’ve drawn, I’ve lost, always with a different experience.”
Mourinho may not be out of work for long having been lined up for the Brazil job, according to former player Carlos Alberto.
Newcastle were also reported to be keeping tabs on Mourinho with Eddie Howe under pressure following a poor run of form.
He is believed to have earned £6.4million a year at Roma and has collected huge sums in severance following his sackings.
Chelsea and United paid him a combined £37m while Spurs are believed to forked out around £15-20m to get rid of him in 2021.
By Kealan Hughes and Etienne Fermie
Jose Mourinho hit out at officials and managers towards the end of his tenure, which was marred by ill discipline.
He received three red cards in 2022-23 and three more this term, including in a feisty Rome derby defeat to Lazio.
The Portuguese was sent off in the match prior to that against Atalanta and also against Monza, after which he told opposite number Raffaele Palladino: “You talk a lot and then you cry.”
Last term, Mourinho tore into Serie A whistler Daniele Chiffi after claiming to have “worn a wire” in order to protect himself from sanctions.
The former Chelsea, Man Utd and Tottenham boss said of Chiffi: “He is the worst referee I have met in my life.
“He is the worst. Technically he’s horrible. Zero empathy. Zero communication. Zero awareness.”
As his tenure began to unravel, the Italian media also found themselves in Mourinho’s firing line.
Following a 2-1 win over Sassuolo last month he refused to speak Italian after the match, despite being fluent.
Instead, he bizarrely only spoke Portuguese, with an interpreter translating for confused local reporters.
A few weeks later things spiralled even further, with Mourinho snubbing the media altogether after his red card against Atalanta.
Mourinho initially received incredible backing from the Roma fanbase, but many began to tire of his antics this season.
With unrest growing further after Lazio dumped his side out of the Coppa Italia, Mourinho bizarrely compared himself to a fictional wizard.
He said: “The Roma fans are the most incredible I have seen. Their coach is Jose ‘Harry Potter’ Mourinho and he raises expectations.”
