Mario Balotelli gloats after ex-Gunner sacked | OneFootball

Patrick Vieira has left Genoa following a string of bad results for the side, and former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is revelling in the news.

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Genoa confirmed this weekend that Patrick Vieira is no longer their first-team coach, thanking the former Arsenal midfielder and his staff for their professionalism and wishing them the best moving forward.

For the time being, Roberto Murgita and Domenico Criscito have been handed the coaching job on an interim basis, until a permanent appointment can be made.

Reports suggest Vieira initiated conversations on his position on Friday, with both parties ultimately agreeing to part ways. Genoa had drawn three and lost six of their first nine games of the Serie A campaign, with their sole victories coming in two Coppa Italia matches.

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Before the dust could settle on Vieira’s exit, Mario Balotelli weighed in on Instagram.

“Karma is a bitch,” Balotelli wrote. “Now Genoa can finally focus on people who really like the environment, supporters and the badge and who deeply believe that Genoa deserves to be at the top.

“The excellent work done by Gilardino and (former president) Alberto Zangrillo was not in vain. It was simply exploited by those who succeeded them, taking advantage of what they had built with relentlessness, respect and passion.”

Balotelli had played under Vieira twice, at OGC Nice and Genoa, but both times it ended badly. The striker only played 10 times under Vieira at Nice and four times at Genoa, leaving as soon as he could.

Vieira had suggested that the player “isn’t made for team sports” and that “it’s very difficult for me to work with him”.

Mario Balotelli

It’s worth mentioning that Balotelli is currently a free agent himself, with no one picking him up after his acrimonious exit from Genoa. So he can only gloat that Vieira is now in the same situation that he’s already been in for the last four months.

Another thing to highlight is that former Gunner Brooke Norton-Cuffy remains at Genoa. The right-back had been a key starter for Vieira, but he’ll have to see if he has such a key role under the next manager.