AC Milan dismissed coach Paulo Fonseca on Monday after only six months at the helm, as the Italian club struggled to compete for the Serie A title.
The 51-year-old Portuguese manager anticipated the decision, revealing his departure as he exited the San Siro following a press conference after the 1-1 draw with AS Roma on Sunday.
His fellow countryman Sergio Conceicao will likely take over from the former Shakhtar Donetsk, Roma, and Lille coach.
The draw against Roma marked the sixth of the season for Milan, placing them seventh in the league, eight points behind Lazio in the final Champions League spot, and a daunting 12 points behind cross-town rivals Inter, who are in the title race.
“AC Milan announces that Paulo Fonseca has been relieved of his duties as Head Coach of the Men’s First Team,” the club’s statement read.
“The club expresses its gratitude to Paulo for his remarkable professionalism and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.”
Conceicao has experience in Serie A as a player and is available, having concluded a seven-year tenure as Porto’s head coach in June.
Milan has faced inconsistent performances and fan discontent issues as seven-time European champions. Fonseca found himself in open disagreements with key players and criticised his squad’s commitment, openly targeting countryman and star winger Rafael Leao while sidelining France full-back Theo Hernandez for a young academy player in a disappointing goalless draw with Genoa earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the fans expressed outrage, having confronted the owners on December 21 during a celebration of the club’s 125th anniversary, which was tainted not only by a lacklustre match and the notable absence of Paolo Maldini among the legendary players on the field but also by chants demanding that the owners, the US investment fund RedBird, sell the club.
