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FOOTBALL

Marcelo Bielsa quits as Lazio coach after just two days

Former Argentina boss Marcelo Bielsa has abruptly pulled out of coaching Lazio in a shock move which the club said could result in legal action.

Marcelo Bielsa quits as Lazio coach after just two days
Lazio boss Marcelo Bielsa has walked out on the club after just 48 hours in charge. Photo: Bernard Landlais/AFP

“We note with amazement the resignation of Marcelo Bielsa in clear violation of the commitments and agreements signed last week and filed with the Italian Football Federation,” the Serie A club said in a statement on Friday.

Lazio said on Wednesday that the man who quit as Marseille coach after the first match of last season, would be arriving in Rome this weekend having signed a contract as coach.

The Roman club said former Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi would be stepping into the vacant breach, having already taken temporary charge after Stefano Poli was sacked in the second half of last season.
   
Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport daily reported that the larger-than-life Bielsa, true to his fearsome nickname 'El Loco', (the Madman) called Lazio boss Claudio Lotito in the middle of the night to say he had decided not to
come to Rome.
   
Bielsa has a reputation for quitting: he dropped out as coach of Marseille on the opening weekend of the French season last year in a bitter row over his contract, after just over a year in charge.
   
Having coached Argentina from 1998 to 2004, Bielsa was also in charge of Chile from 2007 to 2011.
   
The Lazio job was to be his first time coaching in Italy having previously managed in Argentina, Mexico and Spain with Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao.
   
The task of turning around Lazio's fortunes did not promise to be an easy one: the club, which last won the Serie A in 2000, finished eighth last season, far behind arch rivals AS Roma, who were third.

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NAPLES

Champions League: Eight arrested after fans clash with police in Naples

Smoke bombs, flares, chairs, bottles and metal poles were thrown at police in Naples' historic centre on Wednesday, as Eintracht Frankfurt fans descended on the city despite a ban.

Champions League: Eight arrested after fans clash with police in Naples

Three German football fans and five Italians were arrested following violence in Naples before and after Napoli’s Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt, a local official said on Thursday.

Six police officers were injured in violence on Wednesday evening, according to Alessandro Giuliano, who is responsible for public safety in Naples.

Police were in the process of identifying 470 German fans who arrived in the city, and were scouring images to establish those responsible for the disorder, he told a press conference.

Dozens of supporters of Atalanta also joined forces with supporters of the German side, with whom they are twinned.

The first clashes occurred on Wednesday afternoon in Naples’ historic centre, and continued after the match, an easy 3-0 win for Napoli which took them through to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

Smoke bombs and flares, chairs, bottles and metal poles were thrown at police, who responded with tear gas. Later, Napoli fans were filmed by Italian media throwing objects at buses carrying Eintracht fans.

Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi condemned the “unacceptable” violence, while opposition politicians have questioned the government’s handling of the situation, notably by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.

Napoli player Juan Jesus said the disorder was “bad for the city, and bad for football”.

“Because people come, then destroy, then leave, it’s not a good thing. It’s not possible to still see this in 2023, we are sorry to see these scenes,” he said.

The German supporters had travelled to southern Italy, with many arriving in Naples by train, even though Eintracht decided against selling tickets for the away section in Naples for the second leg of the last 16 tie.

Eintracht Frankfurt fans clash with anti-riot police after arriving in Naples despite not having tickets for their team’s Champions League decider with Napoli. (Photo by Ciro FUSCO / ANSA / AFP)

The Frankfurt club decided not to take up their allocation after the Naples prefecture decided on Sunday to ban residents of the German city from buying tickets.

A earlier Italian ban on Eintracht fans who lived anywhere in Germany was overturned.

Sunday’s decision came after violence in the first leg that was won 2-0 by Napoli in Frankfurt, which led to nine people being taken into custody.

Eintracht fans have been under close surveillance by European governing body UEFA since the pitch invasion which greeted the club reaching the final of the Europa League, which they won by beating Scottish club Rangers.

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