Giovanni Trapattoni's reign as manager of the Republic of Ireland has come to an end by mutual consent after the recent disappointing defeats to Sweden and Austria.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) released a statement this morning confirming that both Trapattoni and his assistant, Marco Tardelli, have parted company with the association following an "amicable meeting this morning."
The 74-year-old Italian, whose position it was confirmed was under scrutiny from the FAI last night, said following the meeting "I want to thank everyone in Ireland who has given us their support during our time here which has always meant a lot to us."
"We leave this country with emotion because we understand the Irish supporters who have a well-deserved international reputation and they have our utmost respect. I would like to thank John Delaney, Paddy McCaul, Michael Cody and the FAI Board for their support and friendship over the last five and a half years."
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Making the announcement, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney thanked Trapattoni and his backroom team for the last five and a half years in which Ireland qualified for their first major tournament since 2002 and narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after a playoff defeat to France.
Speaking about the latest qualification campaign which, realistically, came to an end for The Boys in Green in Vienna last night, Delaney said “This particular World Cup campaign has been disappointing but Giovanni leaves us with a group of good young players which should form the basis of the squad that the new manager will use for the European Championships in France 2016 when 24 teams qualify.”
