Ranieri laments being sacked

London, Feb 25: Veteran football mager Claudio Ranieri has lamented that his dream of staying with Leicester City died after the reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions sacked him earlier this week. Leicester enjoyed a dream run under Ranieri's guidance last season and stunned the football world by winning the EPL title.

But the club have not been able to replicate the same magic this season, wining just five of their 25 matches to be at the 17th spot with 21 points.

The 1-2 loss to Spanish outfit Sevilla FC in the first leg of the last-16 stage of the Champions League on Thursday night proved to be the fil il in the coffin as the experience Italian was removed as Leicester mager soon after.

"After the euphoria of last season and being crowned Premier League champions all I dreamt of was staying with Leicester City, the club I love, for always. Sadly this was not to be," the 65-year-old said in a statement on Saturday.

Lamenting the ture of his departure, Raneiri thanked the Leicester fans for their support during his tenure at the club. IANS