The First Serie A Manager Sacked in 2026 While Paolo Sammarco Set As Verona Caretaker

Bottom of the table. Just two wins. The outcome felt inevitable. The outcome was pretty much a given: Paolo Zanetti has been let go as coach of Hellas Verona.

Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Cagliari was the last straw. For now, Primavera coach Paolo Sammarco is running the show.

We’ll have to wait and see how the club chooses a coach to try to pull off such a complicated feat. Sammarco’s going to lead the training today, but the club’s also thinking about Roberto D’Aversa and Marco Giampaolo. We can’t rule out some surprising names, though.

Hellas Verona FC comunica di aver sollevato Paolo Zanetti dall’incarico di allenatore della Prima Squadra.

Il Club gialloblù ringrazia mister Zanetti e il suo staff per il lavoro svolto nell’ultima stagione e mezza e augura a loro il meglio per il prosieguo delle carriere… pic.twitter.com/DTrZnJyvZR

— Hellas Verona FC (@HellasVeronaFC) February 2, 2026

Verona evaluate new options after Zanetti exit

Hellas Verona was really down after losing to Cagliari. The latest setback in the league makes the team’s position in the standings even more challenging, and it’s led to some serious discussions about the future of the technical leadership. People started to take a closer look at Paolo Zanetti’s role, and Sean Sogliano, the sporting director, even admitted after the match that they were doing that.

In the post-match interview, the Gialloblù executive didn’t hold back about the club’s current situation, saying:

“It’s normal to make assessments. When things go wrong, the coach is the one who’s usually in the hot seat. He knows that too. Verona has been on the brink of elimination for the last four years, but they’ve managed to pull through thanks to a playoff on the penultimate and last day. It’s normal for the coach to be in crisis, just like me and the players. We need to figure out if we can bounce back. I’m sorry, but today isn’t the right time to talk about it. I think it’s good that I came forward at this tough time, instead of the coach or a player. I don’t find that useful. Now we’re going home with zero points at a tough time, and we need to think about how to react.”

These words confirm that the club has entered a phase of deep evaluation.

The game against Cagliari had major repercussions, and Verona’s statement this morning tries a different approach to turn things around.