Leicester fans are waking up to the realisation that the man who penned their fairytale is now their former manager.
Nine months after delivering the Premier League title to an unfancied Leicester, Ranieri is jobless.
Ranieri will go down as a legend of Leicester City, having orchestrated the most unlikely title win in Premier League history, but he was dismissed unceremoniously on Thursday.
The decision was not what you would call unexpected given the fact that the Foxes currently find themselves just one point above the relegation zone but so many supporters were left with a sour taste in their mouths in the wake of the clear evidence that football has indeed lost its heart.
Gary Lineker, the former Leicester striker who was moved to tears when his beloved club lifted the trophy last May, found himself crying last night for a very different reason.
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
Many fans echoed the sentiments of Lineker’s tweet about the matter but, in a lengthier interview on BBC Radio 4, the ex-England international has opened up in detail about his emotional reaction to the news.
“It is very sad,” Lineker said. “It is inexplicable to me. It’s inexplicable to a lot of football fans who love the game.
“I suppose you can explain it in terms of a panic decision and for me a wrong decision.
“I shed a tear last night for Claudio, for football and for my club.”
Roberto Mancini remains favourite to replace Ranieri in the Leicester hot-seat and there’s nothing to say that the former Manchester City boss would not be a success at the King Power Stadium.
But Lineker remains dismayed by the landscape of modern football and how it claimed the job of a figure like Ranieri.
“It’s a sign of modern football, what happened last season was truly extraordinary, ” Lineker added. “The lack of gratitude from the owners of the club and who knows who else involved in such a decision beggars belief.
“That season will remain with us forever, it was truly special and a lot of that was down to the management.
“The same guy cannot be considered incapable of doing the job a few months months later after achieving what, for me, was the biggest miracle in sport.”
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