On this day in 2008: Leicester sack head coach Marcelo Loffreda after one season

Loffreda arrived at Welford Road three months into the season.

Pa Sport Staff
Monday 06 June 2022 01:00 EDT
Marcelo Loffreda lost two finals during his season with Leicester Tigers (David Davies/PA)
Marcelo Loffreda lost two finals during his season with Leicester Tigers (David Davies/PA) (PA Archive)

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Leicester Tigers sacked head coach Marcelo Loffreda after only one season in charge at the Premiership club on this day in 2008.

Loffreda arrived at Welford Road three months into the season after he led Argentina to the World Cup semi-finals in 2007.

Things did not quite go to plan for him during the campaign as Leicester failed to defend their title.

The Tigers were also surprisingly dumped out of the Heineken Cup group stages before losing to the Ospreys in the final of the EDF Energy Cup.

They won 13 of their 22 games which earned them a fourth-place finish in the Premiership but came up short in another final after they suffered a 26-16 defeat at the hands of Wasps in the play-offs.

Loffreda was sacked less than eight months into his role, after losing nine league games and a failure to win any trophies.

After he was sacked by the club, Loffreda said: “I was disappointed, because I didn’t have enough time to learn and adjust. Leicester have very high expectations and are always in a rush to win trophies.”

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