Baldini faces Empoli exit

'Extremely sad'
Baldini, 42, broke the news today after a meeting with the club's directors. "I'm extremely sad and cannot say any more on the matter or I might start to cry," he said. The decision is a surprise given that Empoli secured their top-flight status on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Torino Calcio. The result left the Tuscan club in 12th place in Serie A, mathematically safe from relegation.

'Our best coach'
However, Empoli director of sport Pino Vitale said that a parting of the ways was inevitable: "The relationship between the club and Baldini is and always will be very good. He has been the best coach in the history of our club but our plans for the future were different from his expectations. So we have decided to go our separate ways."

Name game
Baldini is in his fourth season at the Carlo Castellani stadium, and led Empoli to promotion last year. He was previously in charge of AC Chievo Verona and Brescia Calcio in Serie B. His namesake Daniele Baldini, Empoli's assistant coach, has been touted as a possible replacement. For Silvio, meanwhile, the future could lie with ambitious Serie B outfit US Città di Palermo.