Serie A club Lecce have sacked manager Roberto D’Aversa in the aftermath of a shocking incident involving a confrontation with Verona striker Thomas Henry.
The 48-year-old coach’s tenure came to an abrupt end following a fiery clash on Sunday, which culminated in D’Aversa headbutting Henry after Lecce’s 1-0 loss to their relegation rivals.
D’Aversa’s actions, which saw him invading the pitch at full-time to confront Henry, resulted in both him and the striker receiving red cards.
However, Lecce wasted no time in condemning their manager’s behaviour, releasing a statement expressing their strong disapproval and emphasising that such actions are contrary to the club’s values and those of the sport.
Less than 24 hours after the incident, Lecce announced D’Aversa’s dismissal on Monday morning, citing the unacceptable nature of his actions.
The club expressed gratitude to D’Aversa and his coaching staff for their work but deemed the incident as grounds for immediate termination of his engagement.
D’Aversa himself acknowledged the gravity of his actions, describing them as “inexcusable” and clarifying that he intervened on the pitch to prevent his players from being provoked by the opposition.
While admitting that the headbutt was regrettable, he maintained that it was not his intention to engage in such behaviour.