Treacherous Leicester City stars conspired against the Italian and held four secret meetings with the owners to get Claudio Ranieri axed.
Foottheball sources reveal that the first meeting with the director of football Jon Rudkin took place back in December.
Defending Champions Leicester City sacked Claudio Ranieri, just nine months after he guided the Foxes to their first ever Premier League triumph.
After a fairy-tale Premier League title triumph last season, the Foxes made a disastrous start under Ranieri this season that has left them only a point and a place above the relegation zone.
It appeared as if the Foxes’ historic Premier League title triumph last season has taken a toll on the players.
Ranieri’s side beat all odds and clinched their first Premier League title in history last season. They finished ten points clear of the runners-up Arsenal.
However, this time around Ranieri’s side have failed to recreate their form from the last season and after a series of lack lustre performances, Leicester City have only clinched 5 wins so far this season from 25 matches and are 17th in the Premier League table – only one point above the relegation zone.
Last season Ranieri had garnered a rock-solid defensive display – conceding just 36 goals and all thanks to Wes Morgan and Robert Huth, who were like pillars made of rock in front of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel at the back.
Leicester City have already conceded 43 goals this season, 13 games still in hand.
Ranieri lost the respect of the dressing room after a disastrous run of defeats – that started with the first game of the season against Hull City.
Foxes stars including skipper Wes Morgan, Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy were approached to discuss Leicester’s downhill ride in the Premier League table in detail.
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And now the sacking of legendary manager Claudio Ranieri has not gone down well with the football fraternity and Manchester United boss Mourinho lambasted the Leicester City stars – with the Portuguese manager even wearing the initials CR to pay tribute to the Italian.
Mourinho said: “My shirt with his name, it is my little homage to somebody that wrote the most beautiful history of the Premier League.”
“Somebody that probably would deserve the Leicester stadium to be named ‘Claudio Ranieri’ — yet he is sacked.”
“So I think Leicester made history two years in a row. One year because they did the most beautiful thing in the Premier League and one of the most beautiful histories in football.”
“Now they are also in the highlights with a decision that has united everyone in football because it is something very, very difficult to accept.”
The owners dropped the axe on Ranieri at a hotel at East Midlands Airport a day after arriving back from a 2-1 defeat to Sevilla in the last-16 first-leg tie of the Champions League.
However, it is now believed that the decision to drop the axe was taken way before the 2-1 defeat against Sevilla.
The ‘Tinkerman’ was slammed by his players for his rigid tactics and his manner also drew criticism during a series of secret meetings.
And in the first 24 hours after the sacking none of the players took to social media to offer thanks to the Italian manager.
LMA chief Richard Bevan said: “The people I represent understand it is a very fragile, very volatile industry and as we have seen with Claudio it is brutal at times.”
