AS Roma have sensationally sacked club legend Claudio Ranieri.
The Roma-born coach was a senior advisor at the Serie A giants, effectively director of football.
However, things came crashing down when he lashed out at head coach Gian Pieri Gasperini over criticism of the squad.
The pair were no longer on speaking terms, and now the Friedkin owners have decided in favour of Gasperini.
Roma sack Ranieri
“AS Roma confirms the relationship with Claudio Ranieri has ended,” the club wrote.
“The Club would like to thank Claudio for his significant contributions to Roma.
“He lead the team through a very challenging time and we will always be grateful for his efforts.
“As we look to the future, our direction is clear. The Club is strong, with solid leadership and a defined vision.
“AS Roma will always come first.
“We have full confidence in the path ahead under Gian Piero Gasperini, with the shared objective of growing, improving, and delivering results worthy of our history.”
Gasperini’s statement on Ranieri sacking
“The club’s statement highlights the trust that has never been lacking from the club, since the first day we met.
“There has always been support and trust. Roma is above everything else; these are the two lines of the statement.
“I’ve never had the feeling of such a tough and intense situation. In any match. That’s the only thing, it really surprised me.
“I didn’t create the situation with Ranieri, I didn’t create any situation against anyone.
“At Trigoria I’m just trying to play football, I’m out of the loop. My only goal is to play football, the other components are high-level: from the presence of the fans, to a city that follows with passion, but I’d like us to talk about football.
“I won’t talk about anything else, and I don’t want to get involved in an issue I’ve been dragged into.”
Ranieri vs Gasperini
Ranieri was born in Roma and played for the club before three coaching stints.
His most recent ended in 2025, having taken the club from relegation trouble to the brink of the Champions League.
The club wanted him to continue in the dugout, but he instead moved upstairs as a senior advisor, essentially director of football above sporting director Ricky Massara.
His main goal was to find a long-term replacement in the dugout, which ended up being Gasperini after his Europa League winning exploits with Atalanta.
It seemed like a perfect fit, but things soured this season with performances not improving and the goal of Champions League football being missed.
Then, Gasperini triggered Ranieri, despite his claims he didn’t create the situation.
Criticising the squad composition and reliance on youth, he said: “Thirty players have arrived in the last two years but only four or five men.”
Ranieri then responded in brutal fashion, saying: “He and I chose the players, there wasn’t one he didn’t approve of or didn’t know would come.
“All we tried to do was give the coach a team that last year came within one point of the Champions League, with many young players to develop.
“We looked at five or six coaches in the summer, but three didn’t come. And in the end, the club decided.”
Gasperini later said: “I left him free to choose the players I didn’t know.
“I asked for two important players, and one arrived.
“We were losing Shomurodov, and I didn’t know we were losing Saelemaekers too.
“For me, it was crucial to work on the attack. I always insisted on the need to invest up front. Unfortunately, it didn’t go that way. Ranieri agreed with me.”
However, the damage was done, and after reports that the pair were avoiding each other at the training ground, the owners had no choice but to pick a side.
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