ANTONIO CONTE HAS walked out of his job as coach of Italian champions Juventus, the Turin–based club announced tonight.
The shock announcement came in a video posted on the club’s official website, in which Conte confirmed his departure after “a decision by mutual agreement to terminate the contract with Juventus which was due to run until the end of the 2014-15 season”.
Conte, 44, steered Juventus to a third consecutive title last season, the first time the club has achieved the feat since a five-season title run in the 1930s.
But after the celebrations had subsided, he hinted he could quit the Serie A giants if they failed to invest in players during the summer break, ahead of a fresh assault on the Champions League.
His impressive achievement at Juve, where he had enjoyed an illustrious career as a player, had seen him linked with a move to French giants Monaco, who were reported to have offered him an open cheque book if he took over the Principality club.
At the time, Conte, speaking in the third person, said: “If Antonio decides to take another path, then he will do so with the greatest respect for the club and the players.”
Conte, who won the Champions League as a player in 1996, added: “I won it as a player and one day I want to win it as a coach.
But if you ask me if it’s possible to do this with Juventus, I would say no.”
Conte, who held talks with Juve’s key stakeholders, said the club “know what I think and they’ve had the time to mull over what I’ve said”.
But the differences appeared to have been resolved in mid-May when Juventus confirmed that Conte would be staying.
Juve posted a brief message on the club’s Twitter page saying: “Season 2014/15: manager Antonio Conte.”
No other official announcement had been made by the club until Tuesday’s news of his resignation.
