Juventus fire coach Allegri for misbehaviour in Italian Cup final

MILAN — Juventus sacked coach Massimiliano Allegri over his behaviour during and after this week's Coppa Italia final in which he was sent off, the Italian Serie A club said on Friday (May 17).

Juventus beat Atalanta 1-0 to win a record-extending 15th Coppa Italia on Wednesday, their first trophy in three years.

Allegri was sent off towards the end of the game for his fierce protests over refereeing decisions.

After the game, the 56-year-old clashed with match officials, Juventus staff and a newspaper director, Italian media reported.

"Juventus announces that it has relieved Massimiliano Allegri of his position as head coach of the men's first team," the club said in a statement, opens new tab.

"The dismissal follows certain behaviour during and after the Coppa Italia final that the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and the behaviour that those who represent it should have."

The Italian football federation is looking into the events during the Cup final.

"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," FIGC said in a statement sent to Reuters.

Allegri first became the Turin club's coach in 2014 and led the team for five seasons, before returning in 2021 after taking two years away from management.

During his first spell, Juve won five consecutive Serie A titles and four Italian Cups.

They also finished as Champions League runners-up twice in 2014-15 and 2016-17.

Allegri's second spell at the helm was less successful and was marred by a financial scandal in which Juventus were deducted 10 points near the end of the 2022-23 season in a case focused on their transfer dealings.

After qualifying for the third-tier Europa Conference League playoffs instead of their more familiar Champions League, Juve were later denied participation in any European competitions over breaches of UEFA's Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play rules.

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