Juventus sack Ferrara

Juventus have sacked Ciro Ferrara and appointed Alberto Zaccheroni as coach until the end of the season. Ferrara's future had long been the source of speculation and uncertainty after the Bianconeri were knocked out of the Champions League and suffered a drop in form that has all but ruled them out of the race for the Serie A title. A 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia on Thursday night was the final straw. "We have failed on our season goal," said Jean-Claude Blanc, the Juventus president after the game. "It is very upsetting."

And yesterday, a Juve statement read: "The Bianconeri club announces it has released Ciro Ferrara as coach and appointed Alberto Zaccheroni, who has signed a contract until June 2010." Ferrara joined Juve late last season and guided the Turin outfit to second place in Serie A. However, he has endured a difficult spell in his first full campaign at the helm. The Bianconeri have lost five of their last six games in Serie A and have plummeted to sixth in the standings, four points off the Champions League places.

Zaccheroni will take charge of the team for the first time against Lazio on Sunday night. The 56-year-old has plenty of experience in Italy's top flight having managed a number of clubs. Zaccheroni won the Scudetto with AC Milan in 1999 but has been out of a job since being sacked by Torino in February 2007. * With agencies