"Chievo" sacked coach Mario Berretta. © EuroFootball.com

The Italian "Serie A" club announced on Tuesday that they have relieved Italian Mario Beretta of his duties as head coach, and have appointed former assistant Maurizio D'Angelo in his place.

Beretta took over at the helm of "Chievo" just this summer, after the departure of long-time club coach Luigi Del Neri, but he failed to continue the success of the former coach and now the Verona team is fighting to avoid relegation in the highest division of Italian football.

Currently, "Chievo" is in 18th place out of 20 clubs in the Italian league, so if things don't improve, the team will have to return to the "Serie B" after a four-year hiatus.

The last straw that broke the patience of "Chievo" executives was the loss in the last "Serie A" match against Fiorentina, another team fighting to avoid relegation. After this defeat, "Chievo" complicated their situation greatly and must play the remaining three league matches successfully if they want to participate in the "Serie A" championship next season.

For the time being, the position of head coach will be temporarily filled, most likely until the end of the season, by former famous "Chievo" player and assistant to Mario Beretta, Maurizio D'Angelo, who once captained the team.

"I made this decision, and I believe it is the right time for changes," said club president Luca Campedelli. "It was the only realistically possible action, and D'Angelo is an excellent choice to start the new season from Sunday."

"Chievo" also announced that the team's players will not be allowed to speak to the media for a while. Similar measures were taken by Turin's "Juventus" some time ago, and as the Rome derby approaches, "Roma" and "Lazio" clubs have done the same.