Jose Mourinho has been fired by Roma due to their poor start to the 2023-24 season. The final straw was their 2-1 loss to AC Milan.
The defeat came after a frustrating elimination from the Coppa Italia by their rivals, Lazio. It was their seventh loss out of 20 Serie A games this season, causing them to drop to ninth place in the standings. Although there is still a slim chance for Roma to secure a spot in the Champions League, with only five points separating them from fourth-placed Fiorentina, Mourinho will not be leading them any further. He has paid the ultimate price for the team’s recent disappointing performances.
Roma owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin issued a joint statement announcing Mourinho’s departure, which reads: “We would like to thank Jose on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club,” said 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.”
In his first season as the manager of Roma, Mourinho quickly won over the fans by leading the team to their first continental trophy in 60 years, the Europa Conference League. Although they also reached the Europa League final in the 2022–23 season, they unfortunately lost in a penalty shootout against Sevilla, which led to Mourinho receiving criticism for his treatment of referee Anthony Taylor. Throughout the current season, Mourinho’s disciplinary issues persisted, resulting in multiple touchline bans. Unfortunately, due to a suspension, he was unable to bid farewell to the fans during the recent match at San Siro.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Daniele De Rossi, a former Roma midfielder, is the top candidate to replace Jose Mourinho as the manager of Roma. After spending two and a half years in Rome, Mourinho will now begin searching for his next job, with reports suggesting that he is attracting interest from several clubs in Saudi Arabia.
