Genoa turn to De Canio

Genoa have sacked coach Alberto Malesani and appointed Gigi De Canio as his replacement.

Genoa axe Malesani after difficult last 24 hours

Genoa have sacked coach Alberto Malesani and appointed Gigi De Canio as his replacement. Malesani has been axed just 24 hours after the protest by Genoa fans which forced the home defeat to Siena to be suspended for 40 minutes on Sunday. With Genoa trailing 4-0 early in the second half at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, an angry group of home fans accumulated around the tunnel area, from where they sent fireworks on to the pitch and threatened to invade it. The game was halted by referee Paolo Tagliavento and after a break of 20 minutes, the match officials and the Siena team left the field with the furious fans applauding them, but not letting the Genoa players approach. The group demanded the home players take off their shirts and captain Marco Rossi gathered jerseys from all but goalkeeper Giuseppe Sculli, who tearfully confronted the supporters. The fans retreated from the tunnel following his show of passion and allowed the game to continue. Genoa president Enrico Preziosi was furious with the protest and the defeat to Siena and he has decided to sack Malesani for the second time this season. Malesani had started the season at Genoa, but was fired after a 6-1 defeat to Napoli in December only to be reappointed on April 2nd to replace Pasquale Marino. However, Preziosi has now moved to bring in De Canio to lead the team for the final five games of the season. "De Canio is the new coach and today he will manage his first training," Preziosi told Radio Rai.