Leicester striker Jamie Vardy revealed that he had received death threats after the club sacked Claudio Ranieri in February, reported BBC on Sunday. Vardy said that his family too had to bear the brunt of the fans after the Italian was shown the door.
“It is terrifying,” Vardy said. “I read one story that said I was personally involved in a meeting after the Sevilla game when I was actually sat in anti-doping for three hours. But then the story is out there, people pick it up and jump on it and you’re getting death threats about your family, kids, everything. When people are trying to cut your missus up while she’s driving, with the kids in the back of the car, it’s not the best.”
According to BBC, a few Leicester players were summoned to meet the club’s chairman after a 2-1 Champions League defeat by Sevilla. It is said that the negative reactions by the players sealed Ranieri’s fate.
With Craig Shakespeare in charge, the Foxes have won four successive matches, moving up to 15th, six points above the relegation zone. That run includes a 2-0 victory in their last-16 second leg with Sevilla and the only English team in the quarters of Champions League football.
“If there was an issue, you went and did it in the gaffer’s office or you went and did it on the tactics board, because he was happy for you to come in and put your opinion across,” Vardy said. “The stories were quite hurtful to be honest with you. A lot of false accusations were being thrown out there and there was nothing we, as players, could do about it. We just had to put it to the back of our minds and concentrate on the football.”
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