Lecce dismisses manager D’Aversa for headbutting Henry

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Lecce has dismissed manager Roberto D’Aversa from his position after an incident where he headbutted Verona striker Thomas Henry following Sunday’s 1-0 loss in Serie A.

D’Aversa, aged 48, and Henry were both shown red cards for their involvement in the incident, which occurred amid escalating tensions after the final whistle.

Speaking after the game at Stadio Via del Mare, the Lecce boss acknowledged that his actions were “inexcusable.”

On Monday, Lecce confirmed that D’Aversa had been dismissed from his role.

The club put his dismissal down to “the events that occurred at the end of the Lecce-Verona match”.

The defeat on Sunday caused Lecce to slide down to 15th position in the Serie A standings, now two spots below Verona. They cling to a precarious one-point lead over the relegation zone.

In their last 12 league matches, Lecce has managed only one victory, suffering nine defeats in the process.

D’Aversa was brought in last summer to succeed Marco Baroni as the team’s manager.

Previously, D’Aversa has held managerial roles at Virtus Lanciano, Parma, and Sampdoria.