Jose Mourinho felt betrayed in Roma

On 16th January, Roma announced the sacking of Jose Mourinho after two and a half seasons at the Olimpico. American owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin argued that, "for the good of the club", an "immediate change" was "necessary". The team was on a bad run and out of the European places, albeit close to them and with a favourable schedule. Surely it would have been straightened out, but the club gambled on change right at that point.
The next few hours were a real drama. The Portuguese coach left the stadium in tears, aboard a vehicle that could barely make headway amidst the tide of fans who had come to see him off. As was the case at many of his clubs, the last thing Mourinho had was the support of the fans, as seen on the banners at the Olimpico in the following match against Hellas Verona. But it seems that within the team he no longer had the same feeling.
'Il Messaggero' has published an inside story on how Jose Mourinho's farewell to the squad went. Despite everything he achieved with his players, restoring their competitive spirit and leading them to a European title, he did not leave well. After his meeting with the board, the Portuguese went down to the dressing room and had a row with those present.

According to the Italian media, Mourinho began to reproach his players for their attitude, calling them cowards and demanding more courage for what was to come. The climax was that he left in the locker of Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini a ring given to him by the squad when they won the UEFA Conference League in 2022.
Along with the detail, the former Roma coach left a note: "When you are men, give it back to me". A direct message to a squad he felt betrayed by, as they had supported the decision to appoint Daniele De Rossi as Mourinho's immediate replacement. The closure of the story is that the players and captains themselves apologised to the man from Setubal, but it did not help him. He believes his players were not loyal to him.