16 Jul 2014

Conte's resignation stuns Juve

12:00 pm on 16 July 2014

Antonio Conte, who coached Juventus to three successive Italian league titles, has stunned Serie A by resigning two months after signing a deal for this season.

Conte, a former Juventus player for 13 years who took charge at the Turin club in 2011, wanted investment in the team in order to mount a serious challenge in the Champions League.

While his Serie A champions finished 17 points ahead of second-placed AS Roma as they became the first team to break the 100-points barrier, the best Conte could muster in Europe was an appearance in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2013, when Juve were brushed aside 4-0 on aggregate by eventual winners Bayern Munich.

Last season they crashed out at the group stage before losing their Europa League semi-final with Benfica 2-1 on aggregate.

Conte's contract with Juve was set to end next June, but at the end of last season he refused to commit his future to the club, where he made more than 500 appearances in 13 years as a player.

Throughout last season he spoke about how a lack of resources was hampering Juve's potential to take on the best on the continent and after winning the title, he said he was "tired".