Juventus sack manager Allegri two days after winning Coppa Italia

Seria A giants Juventus on Friday announced the firing of manager Massimiliano Allegri. Only two days ago, Allegri led "The Old Lady" to the Coppa Italia title with a victory over Atalanta in the final. That was the club's first major trophy in three years.

"The firing follows certain behaviors during and after the Italian Cup final that the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus, and the behavior that those who represent it should have," Juventus said in a statement.

During the stoppage time of the game against Atalanta, Allegri was angry at a referee call. He ripped off his jacket and applauded the referee with sarcasm before he was shown a red card. He received a two-game suspension plus a fine of $5,400 as punishment.

"We can confirm that an investigation on incident (that) happened during the Coppa Italia Final, in which ... Allegri and Tuttosport newspaper's director Guido Vaciago were involved, is in due course amongst the FIGC's Prosecutor Office," the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said in a statement.

Allegri was appointed as Juventus' manager in May 2021, and that was his second stint at the club. Compared with his first one between 2014 and 2019 during which they won five Serie A titles, this tenure was disappointing since the only trophy they won was in the Coppa Italia this season. They are currently in fourth place in the league with 67 points after 36 games, the same as Bologna up front and four points ahead of Atalanta, who have a game in hand.

Since Serie A can have five clubs in the UEFA Champions League for the 2024-25 campaign, Juventus have secured qualification for the tournament.

Juventus haven't announced a replacement for Allegri. There were reports that Thiago Motta, manager of Bologna, may succeed him in the position.