Rome: Serie A strugglers Lazio sacked coach Davide Ballardini and appointed former Napoli boss Edy Reja in his place on Wednesday in a bid to avoid a shock relegation.
The famous Rome club, Italian champions in 2000 when they spent tens of millions on players, have suffered cash problems ever since and are now third from bottom, in the top flight's drop zone, with 15 games left.
"Lazio announce that Davide Ballardini and his staff have been sacked. Edoardo Reja has been named coach," the Italian Cup holders said on their website.
Lazio have won only four games and scored just 17 goals in their 23 league matches this season, prompting well-known fan and television prankster Gabriele Paolini to strip off and jump into Rome's Trevi fountain in protest on Monday.
Fans have also violently protested at the training ground.
Reja joins from Hadjuk Split having moved to the Croatian club after his harsh sacking by Napoli in March last year.
The down-to-earth 64-year-old had guided Napoli from the third division to Serie A in two years and then took them into the UEFA Cup.
Ballardini took over Lazio in June after a successful stint at Palermo, but his task was immediately made harder by club president Claudio Lotito banning top players Goran Pandev and Cristian Ledesma from the squad after they asked to move.
The pair did not play for the first half of the season before Macedonia's Pandev, who is now impressing at leaders Inter Milan, went to court and had his contract ripped up.
Argentinian Ledesma failed with the same move and has now indicated he will return to the first team if he comes to an agreement with Lotito, who has been heavily criticised by fans.
It was not immediately clear who would take over from Reja at Hajduk, who have also had an unsuccessful season. After 17 rounds they are 11 points behind leaders Dinamo Zagreb.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 18:25