Delighted Marino replaces Malesani at Genoa
Thursday, December 22, 2011
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"This is the most beautiful Christmas gift I could receive," said Pasquale Marino upon taking charge of Genoa CFC, who dismissed Alberto Malesani earlier in the day.
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Following their 6-1 defeat by SSC Napoli, Serie A side Genoa CFC have parted company with coach Alberto Malesani and found a replacement in the form of Pasquale Marino.
Malesani took over at Genoa in the summer after helping Bologna FC stave off relegation last season, but despite two wins from their last four league matches the Grifone, who lie tenth in Serie A, decided to terminate the contract of the former Parma FC and Udinese Calcio coach in the wake of Wednesday's humbling by Napoli.
A statement on the club's website read: "Genoa CFC wishes to thank Alberto Malesani and his staff for their efforts and announces that Pasquale Marino will be in charge as coach of the first team as from the next training session on 29 December."
Marino – who replaced Malesani at Udinese at the beginning of the 2007/08 season and, like the 57-year-old, is also a former Parma coach – put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Genoa until 2013. "This is the most beautiful Christmas gift I could receive," said the 49-year-old. "Genoa are a great team and I'm happy to be here."
