Juventus have sacked manager Thiago Motta and appointed their former player Igor Tudor, the Serie A club said on Sunday, after two consecutive heavy defeats in a disappointing season, with the club fifth in the league standings.
Motta was appointed in June on a three-year contract after impressing last season when he led Bologna to Champions League qualification, but his arrival in Turin failed to spark the expected revival at Juventus.
Juventus were beaten 3-0 at Fiorentina last weekend, on the back of an embarrassing 4-0 loss at home to Atalanta, and Motta’s side dropped to fifth in the standings, having been overtaken by Bologna, and 12 points behind leaders Inter Milan.
“Juventus FC announces that it has relieved Thiago Motta of his position as coach of the men’s first team,” a club statement said.
“Juventus FC also announces that it has entrusted the leadership of the Men’s First Team to Igor Tudor, who will direct the first training session tomorrow.”
Tudor’s contract is until the end of this season, a source told Reuters, with an obligation to renew for another year if Juve qualify for the Champions League, but the club has the option to withdraw from that obligation until July 30.
Tudor, now 46, spent most of his playing career at Juventus, arriving in 1998. In 2020 the Croatian was Andrea Pirlo’s assistant at Juventus for one season.
His first managerial role came in 2013 at Hajduk Split, the club where he began and ended his playing career, and in Italy Tudor has managed Udinese, Hellas Verona and Lazio.