Following weeks of speculation, the Italian champions have sacked their coach Roberto Mancini.

Roberto Mancini, looking as though he’s had something rather large and hot ……

Now let’s get this sacking into perspective a little. Mancini must be just about the most successful coach in Inter’s recent history. He’s won the last 3 championships or Scudettos in Italy and he still gets sacked! OK, Inter nearly lost an 11 point lead and the title went down to the final day, but he still won it. Talk about a cut throat business. I was going to say “game”, didn’t seem appropriate.

Anyway, Mancini’s future has looked in doubt ever since Inter were knocked out of the Champions League by former Champions Liverpool in the last 16. Not just because he lost but because after the game he sensationally announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, i.e. now. (Looks like he was right then!) He quickly changed his mind though the next day, but you have to think that the damage was already done. Surely he must have lost the confidence of both the boardroom and the changing room after such comments. He’s been treading water ever since.

Even the statement issued by the club, refers to Mancini’s post match comments. It states:

“FC Internationale have informed Roberto Mancini that he has been sacked as coach. In particular because of the comments made by the coach at the end of the Inter-Liverpool match. You can read the full statement at www.inter.it

Mancini and Inter’s President Massimo Moratti had a short meeting yesterday and I hope Mancini made him pay because he actually had 4 years still left to run on his contract. But I bet it wasn’t too clear cut after the comments made after the Liverpool game. If you say you’re leaving, you’re not going to get your compensation for being sacked, are you?

Reports have suggested that Mancini had also alienated the medical staff at the club too. He certainly knows how to make friends, doesn’t he? Apparently Mancini criticised their methods. You get the feeling that even if Inter had beaten Roma in last Saturday Italian Cup Final it still wouldn’t have saved his job.

Of course his departure from Inter now leaves the door open for one Mr. Abramovich in Chelsea to pick up his Vertu phone and give Roberto a call. It also leaves the door open the other way for the Italian learning Special One to slip into the San Siro. Ciao Jose!

The Soccer Blogger

Well the English title may be going down to the wire but following Celtic’s title in Scotland, Inter Milan secured the 15th Serie A title on Sunday. Their 2 - 1 win over Siena couple with Roma’s loss to Atalanta gave Inter an unassailable 16 point lead at the top of the table.

The title wasn’t the only reason for Inter fans to be celebrating as the club announced that it had secured a new four year contract with their coach, the former Italian international forward Roberto Mancini. I had suggested that Mancini would have been on Chelsea’s short list of potential replacements for Mourinho, should the “Special One” leave in the summer. Well, if Mancini was on any such list it is academic now!

The 42 year old Mancini said after the game, “The emotion is immense. We have had an extraordinary campaign.

“It is extraordinary to win five games from the end with a lead of 16 points. The team showed great character. I’m happy for all Inter fans.”

Having won the title with an amazing five games to spare, Inter have equalled the record set by Torino way back in the 1947/48 season. This was then matched by Fiorentina in 1955/56.

Last year Inter won their 14th title after the scudetto was awarded to them in July after Juventus were stripped of the title following the country’s match-fixing scandal. This will have felt better!

The Soccer Blogger

Despite their current problems off the pitch, see Catania Suffer Heavy Punishment, the Italian National team and current World Champions have knocked Brazil off the top of the FIFA World Rankings.

Brazil had remained at No. 1 for more than four years whilst this is the first time Italy have held the “crown” since 1993. Not sure why Italy weren’t ranked No.1 after actually winning the World Cup, but there you go!

There were no other major movers in the top 8 Ranking. England remained at No.6 behind the likes of Argentina, France and Germany.

The Soccer Blogger

Italian Serie A side Catania suffered a heavy punishment on Wednesday when they were ordered to play the remainder of their home games this season at neutral grounds and behind closed doors. The club also received a fine of approximately $70,000 (£33,000)

The punishment, handed down by the Italian Football League, comes as a result of crowd violence outside their Massimino Stadium on 2 February that resulted in the death of a policeman.

The Italian Football League stated that the incident had left “an indelible mark in the memory”. It cast shame on the whole of Italian football, not a great advert for the current World Champions.

The Catania chief executive Pietro Lo Monaco stated that the punishment and ban would “bring the city to its knees”. Perhaps the fans should have thought of that before! However Lo Monaco is also quoted as saying, “It was clear that our responsibility was limited by the fact that the violence happened outside the ground.” How about that for expertly trying to “pass the buck”! Your fans, your responsibility mate.

What Sr. Lo Monaco seems to have forgotten is that Catania were fined previously in September 2006 and ordered to play two matches behind closed doors after their supporters clashed with fans of Messina and Palermo. Is there a pattern forming here?

The Italian Football League issued a statement on their website that stated the ban reflected “the gravity of the events and the real danger posed by these acts of violence”. Adding that the punishment took into consideration “the absolute uselessness of sanctions already inflicted on Catania for previous acts of violence by its supporters”.

The current ban, and let’s hope it’s their last, will run until 30th June.

The Soccer Blogger