‘Deserved better treatment’ – Mazzara furious with handling of Fonseca’s sacking | OneFootball

Journalist Pietro Mazzara has hit out at the AC Milan ownership and management for the way that they handled the sacking of Paulo Fonseca.

As a reminder if you were unable to follow last night, the news broke from several major sources around 30 minutes before kick-off in the Roma game that Fonseca’s sacking was imminent regardless of the result.

While the Curva Sud chanted against the ownership and the team played out a 1-1 draw on the field, Fonseca then spoke to reporters after the game and insisted he knew nothing about his potential dismissal.

Then, on his way out of the stadium, he confirmed to reporters that he has spoken to the management and received his marching orders. This was all before an official statement from the club, which arrived this morning.

Mazzara spoke in his weekly column for MilanNews and he commented on the manner of Fonseca’s sacking above all, one which leaves a very bitter taste in the mouth for all involved.

“Paulo Fonseca’s dismissal as Milan coach was already written news, but it was just waiting for the right moment to be able to come out,” he began.

“The click came after the draw with Roma, a match in which the Portuguese coach was detonated against the referee Fabbri for not awarding a potential penalty on Reijnders, ending up in the locker room in the 40th minute.

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“That will be the last image of his adventure at Milan, but it is the whole context around the dismissal that has non-canonical connotations.

“Arriving at the stadium, through the first indiscretions launched by Peppe Di Stefano on Sky and Matteo Moretto on X, we entered the mindset that Milan had made the decision to change coach with the agreement reached with Sergio Conceiçao already at the beginning of last week.

“Fonseca, therefore, arrived at San Siro with his fate sealed even if he had won and this aspect, given that something happened between the parties after the victory in Verona, can also be accepted. Marco Giampaolo was also fired after the win at home to Genoa.

“But it was the aftermath that left us a bit perplexed. Fonseca was thrown to the press without having previously received the news of his dismissal.

“A situation that embarrassed both him and (I presume) those who had to accompany him in front of the microphones, because the questions that his colleagues asked Fonseca were clear, direct, targeted, the result of news that circulated and were confirmed by various sources even during the match.

“Fonseca, at least in his exit from Milan, should have been protected. In his place, a member of the management should have shown up to legitimise the choice of change after having communicated it to the person directly concerned, but this did not happen.

“Instead, Fonseca was told, albeit indirectly, of his dismissal by the press before receiving the news from the management in the dressing room at San Siro. Fonseca the man deserved better treatment.”