TURIN (AFP) – Walter Mazzarri made a shock return as Napoli manager after Rudi Garcia fell victim to a dismal start to the Italian champions’ Serie A title defence.
Garcia lasted just five months at Napoli after replacing Italy coach Luciano Spalletti, failing to inspire a team which had kept almost all the stars of last season’s first Scudetto since 1990.
Napoli are 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan in fourth and have been in turmoil for weeks as May’s historic title triumph began to increasingly look like a one-off. Garcia, 59, was fired after Sunday’s 1-0 home loss to Empoli was greeted by a deluge of boos and whistles from supporters, whose joy at being reigning Italian champions has vanished.
Reports of his dismissal emerged almost immediately after that defeat, Napoli’s fourth at home in all competitions.
The announcement of Mazzarri’s Napoli return after a decade away, reportedly on a deal until the end of the current campaign, initially came via owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.
The movie mogul simply wrote “welcome back Walter!” on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the club confirmed Garcia’s sacking.
