Serie A manager fired after headbutt on opposition player goes viral

Italian Serie A side Lecce have fired their manager Roberto D’Aversa after he headbutted Verona striker Thomas Henry following a 1-0 loss in Serie A.

D’Aversa, 48, was shown a straight red card for the incident, while Henry also was given his marching orders for his role in the confrontation.

Tempers boiled over after the full-time whistle had blown at Stadio Via del Mare. Lecce’s 1-0 defeat plunged them down to 15th in the table, two places below Verona, just one point above the relegation zone.

D’Aversa, who was brought in last summer to replace the outgoing Marco Baroni, lost his cool over what he saw as his players being continually provoked towards the end of the match.

Lecce manager fired for headbutting Verona striker

The Italian coach has since apologised for his actions, explaining that he did not go on to the pitch with the intention to headbutt Henry.

“I went on to the pitch to try and stop my players being sent off as Verona were provoking us a lot in the final moments of the match and after the final whistle,” D’Aversa told Sky Sports.

“It wasn’t a nice thing to do,” he added when asked specifically about the incident. “I know that. It’s inexcusable and I’ve been to explain my actions to Verona. I didn’t come on the pitch to do that.”

Lecce have announced that D’Aversa has been “relieved of his duties”. The club stated that “the events that occurred at the end of the Lecce-Verona match” were the reason for his dismissal.