Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was sacked on Friday due to explosive behaviour during the team’s midweek Italian Cup triumph, which the Serie A club found “incompatible” with its values.
“Juventus announces that it has relieved Massimiliano Allegri from the role of coach of the men’s first team,” stated the Turin club. “The dismissal follows certain behaviours during and after the Italian Cup final which the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and those who represent it should have.” The club wished Allegri, 56, “good luck in his future endeavours.”
Allegri was sent off in the final minutes of Wednesday’s 1-0 win against Atalanta for ranting at match officials and then dismissively waving away sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli during post-match celebrations. Allegri, who won 12 trophies with Juventus over two spells as manager, is also alleged to have manhandled and threatened the chief editor of newspaper Tuttosport before the post-match press conference.
He displayed his anger on the sidelines, ripping off his tie and jacket in the presence of John Elkann, the CEO of Exor, the holding company that controls Juventus and Ferrari.
Juventus had been widely reported to be replacing Allegri with Bologna coach Thiago Motta in the summer following an underwhelming season, but were compelled to announce their decision with two matches remaining in the current campaign. Juventus sit fourth in Serie A, 25 points behind champions Inter Milan, after collecting just 15 points in their last 15 league matches.
The club did not specify whether they had dismissed Allegri with just cause, which could potentially save the club from paying the remaining year of his contract, worth around seven million euros ($7.6 million) before bonuses.
The Italian Football Federation’s disciplinary tribunal has launched an investigation into Allegri, who on Thursday was given an automatic two-match ban in the cup for his straight red card but could face further punishment.
Allegri was rehired in 2021 following the sacking of Andrea Pirlo. During his first spell, Allegri led Juventus to five consecutive league titles between 2014 and 2019. He also made Juventus a formidable force in Europe, guiding the team to two Champions League finals. However, his return has been less successful, with Wednesday’s cup victory over Atalanta marking Juventus’ first trophy since Pirlo won the cup three years ago.
Allegri has had to deal with various problems and controversies since his return, including a transfer scandal that led to Juventus being deducted 10 points last season and banned from Europe for a year by UEFA for financial irregularities. Allegri reportedly had poor relations with the new management and was unhappy about the club negotiating with Motta behind his back. He also had to manage Ronaldo’s stormy departure and Paul Pogba’s injury and doping issues.
