Zamparini plans to sell Palermo after chaotic season

MILAN (Reuters) - Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini said on Monday he was preparing to sell the Serie A club after a chaotic season which has seen six coaches sit on the bench, one of them twice.





The 75-year-old, who has run the Sicilian club since 2002 and overseen about 35 changes of manager during that period, told reporters he had "other things to do."

"I've got two more months in Italian football and then I'm leaving," said Zamparini, who has employed several coaches more than once, occasionally reappointing them weeks after their sacking.

"Football has worn me out," he added. "I'll be happy if the new owners are from Palermo."

Palermo have dropped into the relegation zone after an astonishing last few months which have led to differing figures on exactly how many coaches they have employed.

Giuseppe Iachini was sacked in November after two years in charge and replaced by Davide Ballardini, who "fired himself" in early January, according to Zamparini, after he walked out on the team.





NO LICENCE

Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto was then appointed to the post despite not having a European coaching licence.

He sat in the stands in a supervisory role while, first, Fabio Viviani then Giovanni Tedesco took charge from the bench.

Tedesco was handed the job on a permanent basis at the end of January, giving Schelotto more time to sort out his coaching credentials.

But European football's governing body UEFA rejected the Argentine's application for a licence in mid-February and he returned to Buenos Aires.

Zamparini then announced that Giovanni Bosi would coach the team instead of Tedesco, only to fire him after one game and bring back Iachini.

However, Iachini resigned in early March, furious after Zamparini said he had a "losing mentality", and Walter Novellino was handed the reins.

Palermo were in Serie B when Zamparini took over in 2002 and won promotion in 2003-04, ending more than 30 years out of the top flight.

They routinely finished in the top half of the table during the next few seasons, qualified for the UEFA Cup several times and had four players in Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning squad.

They were relegated in 2013 but returned to Serie A at the first attempt.





(Writing by Brian Homewood; editing by Ken Ferris)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world