Former Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura has tendered his resignation as coach of Chievo after picking up his first point at the fourth attempt on Sunday.
Just minutes after the Flying Donkeys' 2-2 draw with Bologna, Ventura entered into the dressing room and told his players he would be stepping down, according to the club's sporting director Giancarlo Romairone.
"We are still trying to make head and tail of it," Romairone said at the post-match news conference, which he attended instead of Ventura. "I wasn't on the bench today as I was in the stands, but we crossed paths in the dressing room and he told me he needed to speak with the players because he had a fundamental sense of uneasiness and he had to inform them.
"In truth, something inexplicable and unexpected emerged, because he made this announcement [of tendering his resignation]. The president [Luca] Campedelli was not even present because, as you know, he is suspended and as a consequence it happens that in the heat of the moment you make certain decisions that then have to be discussed with a clear mind with me and with the president."
Romairone added that he had not yet accepted Ventura's resignation, confirming when asked that the 70-year-old is still Chievo's coach until further notice.
News of Ventura's decision to hand in his resignation was met with fury by veteran Chievo forward Sergio Pellissier, who accused the ex-Italy boss of "wanting to leave as soon as he arrived."
"In this photo, you can see all of my rage at this moment," Pellissier wrote on Instagram. "A heavy summer with the fiscal issues, a start [to the season] to forget and to say things can't get any worse, the resignation of a manager that, as soon as he arrived wanted to leave.
"Crazy!!! In 22 years as a professional, I thought I'd seen it all but I am forced to admit that there is always something new. Anyway, at Chievo, we are used to always being in difficulty and we will get out of this with our heads held high in the face of all those who are enjoying themselves behind our backs.
"You cannot achieve anything in life without fighting or it wouldn't taste nice, right? We start again from zero and this time we will be even stronger. Whoever loves this team cannot abandon us just because things aren't going well.
"It is not the way to do it. Don't be like Ventura. You win together and you lose together as it should be in a team. Never surrender until the end."
Ventura only took charge of Chievo a month ago, replacing Lorenzo D'Anna and taking on his first job since being sacked as Italy coach late last year.
Chievo lost 5-1 to Atalanta in his first game in charge and defeats to Cagliari and Sassuolo extended the Veronese club's losing streak to seven matches, up until Sunday's draw with Bologna which brought their season's points total to zero, following their three-point deduction for falsifying player sale accounts.
It is almost a year to the day -- Nov. 13, 2017 -- since Ventura refused to resign as Italy coach after they failed to qualify for the World Cup following a goalless draw with Sweden, which completed a 1-0 aggregate playoff defeat. He was sacked two days later and was out of work until Chievo called on Oct. 10.