Genoa fires coach Gilardino and reportedly lines up Vieira to replace him

By The Associated Press

Mario Balotelli, left, and Genoa's head coach Alberto Gilardino attend a training session in Genoa, Italy, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Tano Pecoraro]

GENOA, Italy (AP) — Genoa has surprisingly fired coach Alberto Gilardino and reportedly already has Patrick Vieira lined up to replace him. That could have implications for new forward Mario Balotelli. Genoa is just a point above the Serie A drop zone having lost half of its league matches. But the news on Tuesday still comes as a surprise as Gilardino appeared to have turned things around, picking up four points from the two matches before the international break. Vieira and Balotelli were teammates at Inter Milan and Manchester City but fell out when Vieira was the Nice coach, eventually leading to Balotelli moving to Marseille.