Passarella sacked by Parma

Contract until 2003
Passarella, a former coach of the Argentina and Uruguay national teams, only replaced Renzo Ulivieiri at the Emilia-Romagna club on 7 November, signing a contract until June 2003. But that has been broken following a run that has seen Parma slip to second from bottom in Serie A after just two wins in 14 games this term.

'Poor results'
Pietro Gedeone Carmignani will take over as interim boss ahead of the away game at Torino Calcio on Wednesday afternoon. Club spokesman Giorgio Bottaro said of Passarella: "He was dismissed because of poor results. The team is being taken by Gedeone Carmignani who could keep the job as he knows the players well."

UEFA Cup progress
The UEFA Cup has been Passarella's only source of satisfaction, with the club advancing to a fourth-round meeting with Hapoel Tel-Aviv after eliminating Danish challengers Brøndby IF 4-1 on aggregate under the former Argentina World Cup captain's leadership. But Sunday's 4-1 Italian first division defeat by Atalanta BC was the final straw for Passarella, coming as it did on the back of losses against AS Roma, Udinese Calcio, Milan AC and Juventus FC.
 
No new players
Passarella, who played in Italy in the 1980s with AC Fiorentina and Internazionale FC, said when he was appointed that he felt he had the players at his disposal to "finish in the top four" and stressed there was no urgent need for reinforcements to revitalise a side at the time occupying eleventh place in Serie A. "I have to focus on this group," he said. "My assistants and I must think only of the squad at our disposal. We don't need new players. You'll see, this team will climb the table. They only need to find some self-belief."
 
'Here football is tougher'
The 48-year-old said he rejected jobs in France, Spain and Argentina for the opportunity to work in Serie A. "This is a world I know well and I know it isn't easy playing and coaching here in Italy," Passarella said. "I received offers from France, Argentina and Spain but I wanted to work in Italy because here football is tougher, whether you are sat on the bench or out on the pitch."