Roma run out of patience after riding the José Mourinho hurricane | Nicky Bandini

Maybe the Budapest leg should have marked the end of the tale. Prior to the Europa League finale in May, people were speculating that it could be the last week of José Mourinho dominating Roma. His past experience of working for an Italian team in 2010, with Inter Milan, where he secured a treble in his second season and quickly moved on to Real Madrid after securing the Champions League, was frequent in the chatter.

Even though he didn't reach the same level of success at Roma, the circumstances were different. In his first season as coach, Mourinho won the very first Europa Conference League, putting an end to a 14-year trophy drought. In the second season, winning the Europa League with a team whose most significant European accomplishment was the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1961 would have been a remarkable accomplishment.

However, things did not go as planned. During the last spring, even though Roma was leading through Paulo Dybala, they conceded an own goal and eventually lost the match to Sevilla in a penalty shootout. The game and its consequences were quite unsightly, with continuous protests over referee decisions. It all reached a boiling point when Mourinho called Anthony Taylor a "disgrace" in the car park. The situation escalated the next day when irate Roma fans threw a chair at the official at the airport.

After the game, there was something else that caught everyone's attention in Rome - Mourinho pointing at the ground while looking at the fans in the stands. This was his way of telling them that he intends to stay. It's safe to say that the fans absolutely adore him. Thanks to Mourinho, Roma has sold out more than 40 home games in the last two and a half seasons, which includes an impressive streak of 36 consecutive sold-out games.

On Tuesday morning, when fans found out that their beloved coach was fired, they hurried to the Trigoria training center to bid him a sad goodbye. To comprehend the tremendous affection they have for him, one must be aware of Rome's soccer culture. Rome is a city that has always viewed itself as the underdog, fighting against the wealth and political influence of northern clubs.

Mourinho frequently pointed out to the supporters of Roma how fortunate they were to have him on their team. He mentioned that he had won 10 more prizes than the football club had in nearly a hundred years, emphasizing his successes. Winning the Europa Conference League was a pledge fulfilled by Mourinho, and he wanted to share his triumph with the fans. He demonstrated his dedication to the club by having a tattoo of the trophy done on his shoulder.

Thanks to his involvement, the club was able to secure signings that were previously out of reach. Dybala, a talented player, was brought in on a free transfer in the year 2022, while Romelu Lukaku came on loan from Chelsea the previous year. Remarkably, both players were former MVPs in the Serie A. When Dybala was unveiled at Rome’s Colosseo Quadrato, an impressive crowd of ten thousand fans came out to see him.

After 1 and a half years, the club is questioning if the achievements were worth the price. Mourinho has often justified his performance in Rome by emphasizing that the team hardly spent any money on player transfers in the last 2 years and has earned substantial profits from player sales. Although this statement is correct, it fails to acknowledge that Roma spent over €100 million to strengthen their team in Mourinho's first year, and they still have the third largest wage bill in Serie A.

Last season, the club had a financial loss of €102.8 million. Although the amount was reduced by half compared to the previous three years, it was still not good for the club's sustainability. In 2021, when the owner of Roma, Dan Friedkin, came to Portugal in his private jet to hire Mourinho as their manager, he was betting that Mourinho would lead the team to the Champions League and thereby bring in more income for the club.

If Roma had won against Sevilla in May, they would have progressed further. However, if we consider their performance in the domestic league, they have not been doing well. Under Mourinho, they finished sixth for two consecutive seasons and are currently ranked ninth with just one win in the past six Serie A games. Overall, his average points per game were 1.61 which is the lowest among all Roma managers who have managed the club for more than 50 games since the introduction of three points for a win.

It's still unclear why the decision was made to dismiss him at this time. Mourinho has always had conflicts with referees - according to one reporter, there have been 29 red cards given to Roma staff in the past two and a half years - but the confrontation with Taylor seemed like a turning point.

Instead of saying sorry, Mourinho blamed his bosses for leaving him out to dry in an interview he gave last summer. He argued that the airport incident was not his fault and said that someone from the club should have spoken on his behalf. Even though he had publicly announced his readiness to sign a new contract, it was clear that his ties with the club were strained and there was a sense of a rift between them.

Roma has decided to bring in their ex-captain, Daniele De Rossi, as a replacement. This decision is both comforting and uncertain as De Rossi has previously played over 600 matches for the team, but his career as a manager has only consisted of leading Spal in Serie B for 17 games, of which he won only three.

The club might be hoping that by choosing a different popular person, they can reduce the anger that would come with the announcement of Mourinho's firing. De Rossi stated that Roma has great meaning to him. He probably understands better than most just how much supporters loved the previous manager whom he has taken the place of.