Napoli have sacked Walter Mazzarri as the club’s manager just three months into the role, MySportDab reports.
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis took to his X handle to confirm the dismissal of Walter Mazzarri with immediate effect.
The football chief also announced the appointment of Francesco Calzona as interim manager to take charge of the team till the end of the season.
“I thank Walter Mazzarri, a friend of the De Laurentiis family and Napoli, for supporting the team in a difficult moment.
“He will remain in the hearts of the Neapolitans and our family. Welcome back to Francesco Calzona, who has already worked with us under both Sarri and Spalletti,” Aurelio De Laurentiis wrote on X.
Ringrazio Walter Mazzarri, amico della famiglia De Laurentiis e del Napoli, per aver sostenuto la squadra in un momento complesso. Resterà nel cuore dei napoletani e della nostra famiglia. Bentornato a Francesco Calzona, che ha già lavorato con noi sia con Sarri che con Spalletti
— AurelioDeLaurentiis (@ADeLaurentiis) February 19, 2024
The sack of Walter Mazzarri is no surprise given the benchmarks since he took over as the club manager.
The Italian football guru, who previously managed the Serie A outfit from 2009 to 2013, replaced French and former Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia, as manager, who was also shown the exit door following Napoli’s underwhelming Serie A performance under his watch.
Garcia could only manage Napoli for 12 matches before his sack but he left the team 4th on Serie A table, 10 points adrift of the table-toppers Inter Milan.
Mazzarri was expected to get Napoli back to gears on the Serie A title race but he fell far below expectations, winning only 4 matches in his 12 games and leaving the team 9th on the table, 27 points away from league leaders.
Napoli is now off the Serie A title race but Aurelio De Laurentiis hopes to salvage what is left and at least challenge for a top-four finish, hence the decision to sack Mazzarri.
New interim manager Francesco Calzona is expected to take charge of the team with immediate effect and will oversee the Champions League round 16 first leg against Barcelona.
Calzona has been reportedly granted a waiver by Slovakia national team to take up the Napoli job while still keeping his role as Slovakia national team manager.
His modest achievement as a manager was qualifying Slovakia for 2024 Euros.
