This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
Italian football club Napoli has made a shocking move, sacking manager Carlo Ancelotti on December 11, 2019, just hours after he led the team to the Champions League knockout stages.
The decision came after Napoli's 4-0 win over Genk, but it was not enough to conceal the team's poor form, having gone winless in nine games in all competitions.
Ancelotti's dismissal was reportedly due to a dispute with Napoli President Aurelio de Laurentiis, who had ordered the team to attend a week-long training camp in November after they fell 11 points behind league leaders Juventus.
The move was seen as an attempt to undermine Ancelotti's authority and philosophy at the club, and the manager, along with the players, had openly spoken about their dissatisfaction with the decision.
Ancelotti, who won a Premier League and FA Cup Double with Chelsea in 2009-10, is now a free agent and one of only three managers to have won an European cup/Champions League three times.
