Massimiliano Allegri’s time at Juventus has come to an end for a second time, after the club released a statement confirming his dismissal on Friday.
56-year-old Allegri had been appointed in 2021 for a second time at the club, having previously been at the helm between 2014 and 2019, winning five Serie A titles in that first spell.
In a statement on Friday, Juventus confirmed that Allegri had been dismissed from his contract, with a year still left on it. The statement released on the club’s website was blunt and to the point. It reads as follows; “Juventus announces that it has relieved Massimiliano Allegri of his position as head coach of the men's first team.
The exoneration follows certain behaviours 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.
It ends a period of collaboration, which began in 2014, restarted in 2021 and ended, after the previous three seasons together, with the Italian Cup final.
The club wishes Massimiliano Allegri good luck in his future endeavours
The “certain behaviours” the statement speaks of is in reference to Allegri’s conduct both during and after Wednesday’s Coppa Italia triumph. With Juventus 1-0 up after a fourth-minute Dusan Vlahovic goal, Vlahovic was brought down in the box by Hien. The resultant decision of “no penalty” had Allegri whipping his jacket off in anger. Allegri’s tie was off next on 73 minutes after Vlahovic looked to have made it 2-0, only for the goal to be chalked off for offside.
By injury time, Allegri had completely lost it. A foul on Bremer prompted him to start unbuttoning his shirt, squaring up to the fourth official. After screaming in his face, Allegri was given a red card, storming off down the tunnel, demanding to speak to Gianluca Rocchi, the man who designates referees to games in Italy. Allegri raced back out of the tunnel after the final whistle to join the celebrations. Even then, he was spotted shouting “out, out” and warding off club director Cristiano Giuntoli who tried to restore order.
Allegri’s anger could not be tempered as the manager continued his tirade once the celebrations concluded. The manager would then get into a heated confrontation with the director of Turin-based sports newspaper Tuttosport, Guido Vaciago. Vaciago gave his account of the incident in Thursday’s edition of the paper, stating that Allegri demanded he “write the truth in your newspaper, not just what the club tells you to write.”
Allegri is then purported to have threatened Mr. Viciago, allegedly saying, “I know where to wait for you. I'll come and rip off both your ears. I'll come and hit you in the face. Write the truth in your newspaper.” before having to be physically restrained by staff members of both Juventus and Serie A.
The incident overshadowed what should have been a glorious moment for Allegri. Juventus’ triumph saw Allegri make history, the first manager ever to win the Coppa Italia five times, and was Juventus’ first trophy in three years. It was no secret that Allegri’s cache at Juve had been eroded over the last few months, with Juve coming into the final winless in six games and the side needing an injury-time equaliser to avoid defeat at home to relegated Salernitana last weekend.
Many expected Allegri to leave in the summer, riding into the sunset with a nice payout, having brought the Coppa Italia back to its rightful home in the Juventus trophy cabinet. This incident gave the Juve board an out, able to release Allegri from his lucrative contract without the need to pay off the €10 million estimated to be still left on his contract by the Corriere della Sera.
Allegri becomes only the sixth manager in Juventus history to be removed with games still to play, with Juventus Primavera manager Paolo Montero filling in as caretaker for the final two games of the season — away at Bologna on Monday and at home to Monza next weekend.
Time will tell how Allegri’s second spell at Juve will be remembered. After complete domination the first time around, Allegri inherited a side in shambles and has struggled to return Juventus to their former glories. Whether Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final is recalled as an embarrassment to the club or a fitting, illustrious farewell for one of the club’s most successful managers, there’s no doubt that it will be a talking point amongst Juve fans and the wider Italian football landscape for years to come.