Last week, the footballing world shook
its head vigorously in dismay after the appalling nature of one of the harshest
decisions of all time. Merely nine months after the mammoth task of winning
Leicester City FC the Premier League title, the then manager of the club,
Claudio Ranieri, was sensationally sacked after a poor run of form.
The Italian tactician captured the
imagination of the footballing world last season, as his side overcame 5000/1
odds to be crowned champions of England for the first time in their history.
Football fans across the world, whether Leicester fans or otherwise, are still
in disbelief over how ruthless the club has been in their handling of the
situation. Many of them have been vocal against Leicester’s decision-making
that has brought a true footballing fairytale to an end.
Goa is no exception to this and many
fans have been very vocal about how this has made them feel:
I don’t think the Ranieri sacking was
justified by any means, given what he achieved with the amount of resources he
was given. He basically over-achieved last year, and sacking someone for a poor
run though he gave more in return than what’s expected, makes no sense. He will
always remain a cult hero in Leicester history. What happens to the team
remains to be seen, but after a Ranieri-less Leicester dismantled Liverpool,
one of the top attacking teams in the Premier League, it seems that not all
hope is lost.
Akio Fernandes
Ranieri’s sacking was not at all
justified. It was shambolic on the part of the management to give him the sack
after they confirmed that they were with him all the way when the team was
doing poorly. Imagine being reassured of your job and then the next thing you
know you’ve been fired. It looks like the trophy was the dream, and not the
journey. It is a sad time for football and victory for football
commercialisation. Honestly, I don’t care what happens to the team now. Perhaps
they deserve relegation at the very least. What I hope for is for Ranieri to be
given the credit he deserves, and a team to manage again.
Shayne Siero
I think Leicester owners were justified
in sacking Ranieri. They may have won the league last year, but this year they
were on the verge of relegation and losing Premier League status could have
meant big losses to Leicester, in whom their owners have invested a lot this
season. There was clear discontent among players about Ranieri, with regard to
his team selection and other issues. They didn’t want to perform for him.
Emotionally, this decision may seem harsh, but in footballing and financial
terms, it makes sense for their owners. Whatever happens, Ranieri will always
be a hero in Leicester and football history.
Anjyot Talauliker
Ranieri gave something to the club that all Leicester fans will not see in a long time: the EPL trophy. His passion and love for the sport was very much visible during his games. His sacking was not the right decision. The team will still progress without him and continue in a way they see fit under their new coach/manager. That’s how modern football is.
Leandro De Melo
The problem is that a team that had
nothing, and expected nothing, got everything. You win the Premier League and
then struggle to avoid relegation. They really have only lost Kante as a major
asset. Teams learnt and adapted, but even so, with that confidence and speed
they had, they should still be in the top 10 or 12. Laziness and Champion’s
League glory are stuck in their heads. To coin a phrase, ‘fame got to them’.
Modern football is the manager’s problem; we see it all the time now, managers
going because of players.
Conrad Barretto
