Serie A club Genoa CFC announced on 1 November 2025 that they have relieved Patrick Vieira of his duties as head coach after a deeply troubling beginning to the season.
The former France international, who took charge of the club in November 2024, leaves with the team rooted at the foot of the table following nine league matches without a single win.
The club’s official statement confirmed that Patrick Vieira is no longer the coach of the first team, and the technical leadership has been entrusted on an interim basis to Roberto Murgita, assisted by Domenico Criscito.
Vieira arrived at Genoa at a time of crisis. The club was 17th in the table and flirting with relegation when he took over, and he successfully helped them finish the 2024–25 season in 13th place.
Indeed, in June 2025 the club extended his contract through 2027, signalling their faith in his project and their satisfaction with his earlier performance.
But the 2025–26 campaign has proven to be a nightmare. Genoa have drawn three times and lost six of their opening nine fixtures, scoring just four goals in the process. They now sit two points below the safety zone and at the bottom of Serie A.
The statistics have made grim reading for the club’s supporters, whose early optimism under Vieira has faded quickly.
Vieira’s remarks earlier this season hinted at mounting internal pressure. Following a goalless draw, he admitted, “The boos are understandable given the performance, especially the failure to score. I feel sorry for the players because their attitude was correct, but there’s a certain lack of nastiness in front of goal.”
Genoa is one of Italy’s oldest and most respected football institutions, but its recent history has been turbulent. The club has yo-yoed between Serie A and Serie B over the past decade, struggling to regain the stability that once made it a formidable force.
Vieira’s appointment was seen as an attempt to restore long-term structure and identity, combining youth development with a possession-based style. Yet, the results never matched the ambition.
For Genoa, survival in Serie A remains the priority, and the decision to part ways with Vieira is being viewed as a necessary, if painful, step toward that goal. The short-term solution lies in the hands of Roberto Murgita and Domenico Criscito, who will take charge in a caretaker capacity while the club searches for a permanent manager.
Murgita, a former Genoa assistant, is respected for his understanding of the club’s culture, while Criscito, a long-serving former captain, is considered a figure who can quickly restore dressing-room unity. Their immediate task will be to stabilize the team, rebuild confidence, and secure points in the crucial fixtures ahead.
Vieira’s departure marks yet another chapter in his managerial journey that has included mixed fortunes across Europe. After spells with Nice and Crystal Palace, Genoa was seen as a chance for him to rebuild his reputation in a less pressurized environment.