Pirlo leaves Juventus after disappointing year in charge
Reports say the former Italian player was fired but the club’s statement has not mentioned it.
Andrea Pirlo is leaving Juventus after only one season as coach following a fourth-place finish that ended the club’s run of nine straight Serie A titles.
Juventus did not say in Friday’s statement whose decision it was to go, but reports in Italy say the 42-year-old Pirlo was fired.
Pirlo, a former Juventus player who had never coached at any level, was surprisingly appointed last year after Maurizio Sarri was fired.
“A few months ago, Andrea Pirlo, an icon of world soccer, began his new adventure, his first as a coach,” Juventus said in a statement. “To do this, first of all, it takes courage, as well as awareness of one’s own means … Pirlo has just begun the first steps of what will no doubt become a brilliant career as a coach.”
Juventus won the Italian Cup and the Super Cup under Pirlo, but Inter Milan won the Serie A title.
