CESARE PRANDELLI has resigned as coach of struggling Fiorentina after four months in charge, the former Italy boss confirmed on Tuesday.
“In recent months, a shadow has grown inside me that has also changed my way of seeing things,” Prandelli said in a letter posted on the club’s website.
“I have been going through a period of profound distress which is preventing me from being who I really am. I began this experience with joy and love, spurred on by the enthusiasm of the new owners. It’s likely that my love for the city, and the memories of the great moments I’ve experienced here, made me blind to the early signs that something wasn’t right inside.
“My decision has been guided by the enormous responsibility I have towards the players, the club and – last but certainly not least – to the Fiorentina fans, for whom I have great respect.
“All players at this level have talent, and when you have talent you are perceptive – I wouldn’t want my distress to be picked up and affect the team’s performances.
“Over the past few months, a dark cloud has developed inside of me, changing the way I see things. I came here to give 100%, but I now feel that this is no longer possible and therefore I have decided to step back for the good of everyone involved.
“I’d like to thank Rocco Commisso and his wonderful family, Joe Barone and Daniele Prade, who have always been right behind the team and me. Most of all, though, I want to thank the people of Florence, who I know will understand.
“I’m aware that this could be the end of my career as a coach, but I have no regrets and don’t wish to have any. The world I’ve been a part of for my whole life probably isn’t right for me anymore – I no longer see myself in it. I’ve certainly changed, but the world is moving faster than I thought too. That’s why I believe the time has come for me to stop being swept along, stop for a while and rediscover my true self once again.
Fiorentina said earlier in a statement that the 63-year-old Prandelli had “submitted his resignation to the club management”.
“The club, with great regret, accepted the coach’s request and understood the reasons, which go beyond football,” the Tuscan club said.
Italian media report that Giuseppe Iachini, who Prandelli replaced on 9 November, is poised to return to the bench at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Prandelli was in his second spell coaching the ‘Viola’, who he previously led between 2005-2010, taking the club to the semi-finals of the old Uefa Cup in 2008 and the last 16 of the Champions League in 2010.
But Fiorentina have dropped two places in the Italian top flight since his appointment and are sitting 14th, seven points above the relegation zone, after last weekend’s 3-2 defeat by AC Milan.
Prandelli ended his first spell at Fiorentina to take charge of the Italian national team in the wake of their disastrous group-stage exit at the 2010 World Cup, and he guided the Azzurri to the final of Euro 2012, where they were however thrashed 4-0 by Spain.
He quit the national team two years later when Italy suffered another group stage humiliation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, being knocked out alongside England.
Since then Prandelli, who has never won a major honour as a coach, has failed to make much of an impression, with underwhelming spells at Galatasaray, Valencia, Al-Nasr and Genoa.
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
