So that’s that then. The man who led Leicester City to their greatest achievement in 133 years of existence, who, against 5,000-1 odds, reminded us that football is important because it provides moments of proof as to the ability to ascend over the bleak status quo — that we are surrounded by possibilities rather than dictated by a torrent of cruel fate, has been stabbed in the back by his club a day after declaring that “the dream is alive”.
Leicester, not yet in the drop zone and a 1-0 victory away from the Champions League quarterfinals, have sacked Ranieri, claiming they’re “duty-bound to put the Club’s long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment”. Leicester, who only survived by the skin of their teeth in their 2014-15 Premier League return and had spent the previous 10 years bouncing around the second and third divisions, have achieved the remarkable feat of uniting the planet not once, but twice now.
Last May, everyone, apart from Tottenham supporters, cheered when they clinched the EPL trophy. Yesterday, when Jamie Vardy wheeled away in delight after scoring a vital away goal against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Stadium, home of the back-to-back-to-back Europa League champions, that feeling briefly returned.
Leicester fans spoke to yesterday all saying club could not sack him. His name sung at the end. Last night, as it turned out.
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) February 23, 2017
But now, let’s all unite behind the King Power ownership group suffering a great hubristic downfall. Sadly, relegation results in lost jobs for the blue-collar workers of a club, but it also results in a huge hit for the owners. Three teams must be relegated, and the over-confidence of the Leicester owners in this decision makes them crowd favorites.
After all that Claudio Ranieri has done for Leicester City, to sack him now is inexplicable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly sad.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 23, 2017
Sorry Leicester supporters, it’s nothing against you, but here’s to Leicester getting obliterated by Liverpool, Hull and Arsenal in their next three EPL fixtures, followed by Sevilla scoring as many goals as they should’ve in the first leg.
Football is about more than TV revenue, and you’d think that King Power would’ve realized that last season. Fortune crawled up their a** last year and they responded by handing out free beer and doughnuts.
They’re up against it now, and they’ve sacked the man whose win percentage for the club stands at 58.14%, a mark that’ll never be bettered.
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