Time's up, Rafa:l Benitez has been sacked by Inter
Milan after six months in charge
Rafa Benitez's sacking by Inter Milan will be confirmed
on Wednesday, and the former Liverpool manager faces
further humiliation after it emerged that failed AC Milan coach
Leonardo has been lined up to replace him.
Sportsmail revealed on
Monday how Benitez had talked himself out of a job by turning on
owner Massimo Moratti in the wake of Inter's Club World Cup triumph
in Abu Dhabi, and the San Siro chief ended the Spaniard's reign in
a phone call on Tuesday night, six months into a two-year
contract.
The news was relayed to Benitez at the home he has kept near
Liverpool and will be ratified in an official statement this
morning.
Benitez was frequently at odds with owners Tom Hicks and George
Gillett during his time at Anfield and must have known what was at
stake when he challenged Moratti's authority on Sunday, effectively
calling on the owner to back him with transfer funds or sack
him.
Benitez said: 'Last year, Moratti spent 80million euros on five
players, but this year he has spent nothing for me. It has left me
100 per cent disappointed.
'It seems to me there are three options now for the club. One,
100 per cent support for the coach and four or five new players to
build a stronger team. Two, carry on like this, without a project
or any planning and go ahead with one person to blame. Three, speak
to my agent and reach an agreement. Simple.'
Unsurprisingly, the all-powerful Moratti chose the latter option
and delayed implementing his decision only for fear of handing
Benitez the initiative in any dispute over a pay-off.
Divided: Moratti (R) and Benitez with FIFA president
Sepp Blatter in Abu Dhabi
He was still choosing his words from the club's offices
in Milan and, asked whether Benitez was still in charge, said: 'At
this precise moment, he is, yes.'
The phone call soon followed and, as Benitez reflected on a
brief stay at the European champions, his mood will not have been
helped by a clear signal that Leonardo is heading back to the San
Siro to fill his boots, despite his time as AC Milan boss ending
with Silvio Berlusconi firing him.
Moratti was eager to take former Roma coach Luciano Spalletti
back to Serie A but a £5m compensation payment to Zenit St
Petersburg, on top of personal terms, was prohibitive.
Instead, he will turn to Leonardo, and his motives say much
about a personality that was always likely to put him at odds with
Benitez, given the former Liverpool manager's craving for
control.
A San Siro source said: 'Leonardo was just behind Spalletti on
Moratti's list of candidates, but he is available and he knows the
club after his time at Milan. Also, Moratti grew to like and admire
Leonardo for the work he did here. He felt he conducted himself
extremely well under difficult circumstances and was harshly
treated when Milan got rid of him.
'But there is more to it than that. Berlusconi is more than just
a local rival. Moratti does not like him as a political figure, and
the thought of taking on a coach Milan sacked and turning him into
a great success with Inter is too good to resist. If he can pull it
off, he would see it as a double victory.
'He likes to be in control, and Benitez never had a chance of
surviving once he took him on and gave him an ultimatum. There was
only ever going to be one outcome.'
With Benitez choosing to keep his home on Merseyside and making
no secret of his wish to manage Liverpool for a second time,
rumours were rife that Roy Hodgson may have to make way for a
homecoming that would divide opinion among the club's vast
support.
Man for the job: Inter Milan will turn to former AC
Milan boss Leonardo to replace Benitez
New owner John Henry, who bought out Hicks and Gillett
in an acrimonious power struggle earlier this season, would surely
be wary of taking on a coach with a track record for picking fights
behind the scenes.
Benitez has had a torrid time since taking over at Inter from
Jose Mourinho, whose side won the Champions League, the Serie A
title and the Coppa Italia last season.
Inter have struggled to show such dominance this season and are
13 points behind leaders AC Milan.
They are through to the last 16 of the Champions League but only
after finishing runners-up to Tottenham, who soundly beat them 3-1
in the group stage at White Hart Lane.
