Ex-China boss Cannavaro takes charge at Serie A side Udinese with first game the final 18 minutes of match v Roma
- Udinese v Roma was abandoned after Evan Ndicka was hospitalised following a medical emergency
- World Cup-winner appointed at relegation-threatened side with just six matches remaining
Former China manager Fabio Cannavaro was named Udinese boss earlier this week and his debut in the dugout will be the final 18 minutes of a previously abandoned match against Roma.
On April 14 the two sides met for their scheduled Serie A encounter and, with the score locked at 1-1, Roma’s Evan Ndicka was hospitalised after suffering a medical emergency on the pitch and the match was stopped with 72 minutes on the clock.
The final 18 minutes of the match was rescheduled for Friday at 2am (HKT) but Udinese changed their manager following the weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Verona, with Gabriele Cioffi dismissed.
Serie A rules stipulate the two teams can field any available player – even ones who were injured or suspended for the original encounter – with the only exception being those who were substituted during the match. But nothing regarding changes in the dugout.
It’s an almost unprecedented situation where a team starts a match with one coach, and ends the game with another.
It is slightly reminiscent of when former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol was informed at half-time of a Uefa Cup tie with Getafe in 2007 that he would be replaced by Juande Ramos, but still coached the rest of the game.
