After 16 months in command, Antonio Conte has left Tottenham "by mutual agreement," the Premier League team announced on Sunday.
After a 3-3 draw at Southampton on March 18—a game in which they lost a 3-1 lead—the Italian was fired due to his astonishing post-game tirade.
The 53-year-old, who assumed control in November 2021, succeeded by until the conclusion of the season by his assistant Cristian Stellini.
A club release states, "We can vouch for Antonio Conte's mutual departure from the team consent."
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"In Antonio's first year with the team, For the Champions League, we were eligible. Considering Antonio's contribution and send him our best wishes for the future".
"Ryan Mason will serve as the team's associate head coach for the duration of the season, while Cristian Stellini will serve as the team's acting head coach."
Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham, continued, "We have a Champions League battle to wage spot with 10 Premier League games left".
"We must work together as a team. To achieve the best result for our club and great, devoted supporters, everyone must stand up".
At the moment, Spurs are fourth in the Premier League under Conte, but they are only two points ahead of Newcastle in fifth place, who has two games in hand on Tottenham in the fight for a place in the Champions League.
Earlier this season, Stellini filled in for Conte on the sidelines when the Italian was recovering from gallbladder surgery.
Conte won league championships throughout his three stints as a Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter Milan club manager. He failed, though, to put an end to Tottenham's 15-year trophy drought.
The season's end was when his contract was to expire.
After the draw against Southampton, Conte launched into a remarkable tirade in which he called his players "selfish" and said they could not perform under pressure.
He also attacked Tottenham's protracted trophy drought and attributed it to a practice of frequently changing managers.
- A Consistent Winner
With the reputation of a brutal serial winner who could turn around the fortunes of a team whose last English league championship was in 1961, Conte joined Spurs in November 2021.
An immediate effect was evident when Spurs overcame rivals Arsenal from north London to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League last season thanks to a turnaround in their play.
The difference between the two is 20 points this season as the Gunners inch closer to a first league crown in 19 years.
Conte's stay in north London was also marred by tragedy and poor health on a personal level.
Gian Piero Ventrone, a longtime fitness coach on Conte's team, passed away unexpectedly in October.
In recent months, there have also been the deaths of two close friends and former athletes, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli.
Last month, Conte had emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder, requiring him to take two periods off the field to heal.
However, his homecoming did not have the expected impact on his team, who had fallen 1-0 to lower-division Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round while he was away.
Spurs were eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 after a humiliating 1-0 loss on aggregate to AC Milan.
