Undermined Fonseca leaves Milan with 'calm conscience'

The Portuguese struggled from the start at San Siro but his sacking still reflects badly on the club's board

- Nicky Bandini

It was Paulo Fonseca who announced his own sacking shortly after midnight. Driving out of the parking lot at San Siro, he stopped to answer questions from a reporter. "Yes, I've exited Milan," he said. "That's life. Life goes like this. My conscience is calm, because I did everything I could."

Such phrasing might make it sound as if Fonseca took the decision himself. He did not. Milan eventually confirmed they had relieved the head coach of his duties in an official statement published yesterday morning. They have appointed Sergio Conceicao as his replacement. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that documents had already been exchanged for the new coach's contract before the Rossoneri kicked off against Roma on Sunday.

The case for change is obvious. After drawing 1-1 with the Giallorossi, Milan will end the year eighth in Serie A. They are eight points adrift of the top four and trail the joint leaders, Atalanta and Napoli, by 14. Fonseca had raised the bar after he replaced Stefano Pioli in the summer and stated his objective as: "Win the Scudetto."

But that does not justify treating him so poorly. If the decision to fire Fonseca was made before kick-off, why not inform him before he spoke at a post-match press conference? Barely an hour before he broke the news of his own dismissal, the Portuguese had told a room of journalists that he expected to travel with his team for Milan's Supercoppa Italiana semi-final in Riyadh on Friday.