Paulo Sousa sacked by Leicester City
After less than three months at Leicester City, manager Paulo Sousa has been sacked. The decision was made after Leicester lost to Norwich 3-4 in Tuesday’s League Championship game.
Sousa joined Leicester in the summer after leaving Swansea, taking over the Leicester job in July to replace Nigel Pearson, who left to manage Hull. Since then, the former Portuguese international has only managed to pick up five points in nine games.
In the meantime, coaches Chris Powell and Mike Stowell will take over for Sousa in the match against Scunthorpe.
Leicester has only managed to win one game in nine matches this season and is currently at the bottom of the league table.
Regarding his sacking, Sousa said, "To be sacked after being told that there was a long-term strategy at the club is something that I find very surprising."
A statement on the Leicester City website read, "The decision has been taken as a result of the club's poor run of results this season...the club would like to state that Paulo Sousa is a first-class individual, but that this decision has been taken in the
best interests of the club and our ambitions are to move up the Championship...the search for a new manager begins immediately and club anticipates a quick appointment."
The news was viewed with surprise since chairman Milan Mandaric had given Sousa a vote of confidence before Tuesday night’s game. Mandaric had stated that Sousa would be given time to turn results around.
The chief executive of the League Managers Association, Richard Bevan, believes that the Foxes chairman has acted rashly, and that he has contradicted himself.
“Paulo's sacking is even more disappointing in light of the chairman's comments on Paulo's appointment in the summer, when he stated he was 'delighted to acquire a manager of such great calibre'.”
Sven-Goran Eriksson has been linked to the job, but has refused to comment on the situation.
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