Disgust and empathy were the primary emotions across social media as news of Claudio Ranieri’s demise was made official by Leicester City.

Just nine months after guiding Leicester to one of the most unlikely title runs in European history, the club announced Thursday it has parted ways with the Italian manager by mutual consent following a dismal title defence.

Related: Ranieri fired by Leicester City after wretched run of form

Regardless of Leicester’s poor showing, members of the football world wasted no time in sharing their anger and remembering the good times after learning about Ranieri’s fall from grace:

The dreaded “vote of confidence” proved once again to be little more than a kiss of death.

After backing manager Claudio Ranieri earlier this month, Leicester City’s front office made the largely unpopular decision to part ways with the Italian bench boss on Thursday, some nine months after he masterminded the most unlikely title in Premier League history.

Read more: Ranieri fired by Leicester City after wretched run of form

With the club in serious danger of being relegated this season – the Foxes sit 17th, just a solitary point above the drop zone – Leicester brass explained its decision to relieve Ranieri of his duties.

“This has been the most difficult decision we have had to make in nearly seven years since King Power took ownership of Leicester City. But we are duty-bound to put the Club’s long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment, no matter how strong that might be,” vice chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said.

“Claudio has brought outstanding qualities to his office. His skillful management, powers of motivation, and measured approach have been reflective of the rich experience we always knew he would bring to Leicester City. His warmth, charm and charisma have helped transform perceptions of the Club and develop its profile on a global scale. We will forever be grateful to him for what he has helped us to achieve.

“It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Indeed, survival in the Premier League was our first and only target at the start of the campaign. But we are now faced with a fight to reach that objective and feel a change is necessary to maximise the opportunity presented by the final 13 games.”

Ranieri, hired by Leicester amid little fanfare in July 2015, had reportedly drawn the ire of multiple players in the dressing room for his chopping and changing of personnel this season, and his future came under increasing question as the Foxes continued to slide down the table to their current position.

Ultimately, despite the heights of last season – the likes of which will almost certainly never be reached again at the King Power Stadium – there is little place for sentimentality in football, particularly when relegation could see the club take a massive financial hit.

From unlikely Premier League champion to the scrap heap.

Leicester City fired manager Claudio Ranieri on Thursday, nine months after the affable Italian and his rag-tag group of players defied 5,000-1 odds to reach the summit of English football.

“This has been the most difficult decision we have had to make in nearly seven years since King Power took ownership of Leicester City. But we are duty-bound to put the club’s long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment, no matter how strong that might be,” said vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha in a statement.

The decision to part ways with Ranieri came after a 2-1 defeat at Sevilla, which was one of the more positive losses in a season of many. Leicester is still in contention for the quarter-finals of the Champions League as it prepares for the return leg at the King Power Stadium on March 14.

But as a whole, the Foxes have offered one of the worst title defences in Premier League history. They’re just one point above the relegation zone with 13 matches remaining, and have yet to score a league goal in 2017.

Related: Leicester’s Cinderella story nearing unhappily ever after

The club was also dispatched from the FA Cup by third-tier Millwall last weekend.

Leicester gave Ranieri a vote of confidence on Feb. 7, stating its “unwavering support” for the manager, but apart from a win over Derby County in cup action, nothing seemed to change in the time since.

“It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Indeed, survival in the Premier League was our first and only target at the start of the campaign,” added Srivaddhanaprabha. “But we are now faced with a fight to reach that objective and feel a change is necessary to maximise the opportunity presented by the final 13 games.”

Assistant manager Paolo Benetti and conditioning coach Andrea Azzalin also parted company with the east Midlands outfit.

Craig Shakespeare and Mike Stowell will take charge of the squad ahead of Monday’s clash against Liverpool.

Bundesliga debutant RB Leipzig could miss out on a maiden voyage in continental competition next season because of UEFA rules limiting the entry of multiple clubs under the same ownership.

With Austrian side RB Salzburg sitting atop its domestic league and Leipzig comfortably second in Germany’s top flight, both sides owned by energy drink manufacturer Red Bull are near-certainties for no worse than a Champions League qualifying playoff spot.

Not so fast, says UEFA, insisting, according to ESPN FC, that, “no individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition,” and that if two or more clubs fail to meet the criteria “only one of them may be admitted to a UEFA club competition.”

Austrian outlet Salzburger Nachrichten adds that UEFA has privately confirmed as much, and with terms stating that “the club which was best-ranked in the domestic championship” would gain European entry, Leipzig appears set to miss out.

Still, Leipzig CEO and Red Bull head of global football Oliver Mintzlaff remains unconcerned.

“At RB Leipzig, there is no nervousness and there are no alleged ‘signals’ from UEFA,” Mintzlaff said.

“Should we qualify for a European competition, there’d be no reason to doubt that we’d play internationally next term.”

Since its founding in 2009, Leipzig has enjoyed a meteoric rise from the NOFV-Oberliga Sud to the Bundesliga, and the club’s corporate ties have drawn the ire of supporters across Germany, with violence surrounding a match with Borussia Dortmund the most recent example of contempt.

Unsurprisingly, Mintzlaff and Co. are undaunted by speculation linking it with a potential Champions League dismissal.