Roma sack manager Jose following torrid run

Jose Mourinho parted ways with Serie A side Roma with immediate effect, the club officially announced on Tuesday.

Mourinho’s contract was until the end of the season but, after Roma’s 3-1 defeat against rivals AC Milan on Sunday and with the club positioned at ninth place in the league, the openers and the manager have mutually agreed to conclude the contract.

It draws curtains on Mourinho’s spell at Stadio Olimpico, which began in May 2021 and saw him clinch the Europa Conference League title in 2022 and make it through the Europa League final last season.  

"We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club," said owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin.

"We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club. We wish Jose and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours."

Mourinho’s three years at Roma was highlighted by the club securing the Europa Conference League title against Feyenoord in Tirana. It was their first trophy in 11 years. 

But after a challenging 2023-2024 season, the straw that broke the camel’s back appears to be the dismal performance against AC Milan at the weekend. It came following an appalling run of form when Roma were knocked out of Coppa Italia by Lazio on January 10. But just last week, he was dwelling on his commitment to the club. "I've been here for two years and five months and I'm the only person here who hasn't missed a single training session in that time," Mourinho said. "For me, there are no illnesses or bad moods.

"For two and a half years I haven't done anything wrong, not even a couple of weeks ago when everyone was sick. I do not accept in any way that my professionalism and dignity, my heart for this job, can be questioned. If there is a perfect example of professionalism, it is me. I have never missed one match in over 20 years of my career."

Mourinho arrived at Roma in 2021 following an illustrious career that saw him coach FC Porto, Chelsea (twice), Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham. He joined Roma only 15 days after being sacked by Spurs. 

His final acts at Roma include him comparing himself to Harry Potter. 

"The Roma fans are the most incredible I have seen," Mourinho said. "Their coach is Jose 'Harry Potter' Mourinho, and he raises expectations."