Champions Leicester sack manager Ranieri - club

Soccer Football - Sevilla v Leicester City - UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg - Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, Seville, Spain - 22/2/17 Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri after the match Action Images via Reuters / John Sibley Livepic

(Reuters) - Premier League champions Leicester City sacked Italian manager Claudio Ranieri on Thursday, nine months after he clinched one of soccer's most remarkable triumphs but with the team now hovering above the relegation zone.

Ranieri's side stunned the sporting world when they secured a maiden English top-flight title last May, having begun the season as 5000-1 outsiders, but have struggled to repeat those heroics in the current campaign.