Leicester City's Claudio Ranieri joins the list of sacked managers in the Premier League this season

Leicester City sacked manager Claudio Ranieri on Thursday, just nine months after he led the club to their first Premier League title.

Ranieri guided Leicester to the most unlikely of title wins last season and went on to claim FIFA's Coach of the Year for the achievement.

However, Ranieri and Leicester have struggled this season, with the club sitting just one point and one position above the relegation zone, having failed to score a single league goal in 2017.

Riyad Mahrez named 2016 BBC African Player of the Year

Riyad Mahrez has tonight put smiles on the faces of Algerians as he is named the 2016 BBC African Footballer of the Year by fans from across the world.

He beat Liverpool’s Saido Mane to the award after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Yaya Toure and Andre Ayew had been eliminated.
Riyad Mahrez said after receiving the award: "It means a lot, obviously I’m African, it’s big for an African player and I’m very pleased to win it.
"It’s always good to receive an award and as an African player it’s a huge honor."
On why he won: "Maybe because I won the league and we had a very good season.
"I think Algerians are proud of me, I’m from Africa and they are very proud of me and I want to thank them and all my family.
"All the fans, thank you very much, I’m very pleased to receive this."

A delighted Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri said: "It is fantastic, he had a fantastic season and I’m sure he’ll want to continue and have another fantastic season.

"I want him to continue, he’s a fantastic player for us and the team and he’s improving everyday. I speak about his sacrifice for the team as we have to work together."

Claudio Ranieri, Zinedine Zidane among nominees for FIFA coach award

Leicester City's Claudio Ranieri, Portugal's Fernando Santos and Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane are set to be among the frontrunners for the Best FIFA Men's Coach 2016 award after being named on a 10-man shortlist.

Barcelona's Luis Enrique, Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone, Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino and former Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, now with Manchester City, are also nominated.

Wales coach Chris Coleman is also a contender after leading the nation to the semifinals at Euro 2016, while France boss Didier Deschamps, who led the host nation to the final, completes the shortlist.

However, Santos will be a strong contender after Portugal won the European Championship for the first time in their history, while Zidane led Real Madrid to Champions League glory after taking over from Rafa Benitez in January.

Ranieri, though, defied odds of 5,000-1 to lead Leicester to the Premier League title last season and has overseen a strong start to the club's first ever Champions League campaign this season.

FIFA recently announced that the will be based on the votes of captains and head coaches of national teams around the globe and an online public ballot with football fans and submissions from a selected group of over 200 media representatives.

Best FIFA Men's Coach 2016

Chris Coleman (Wales/Welsh national team), Didier Deschamps (France/French national team), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich/Manchester City), Jurgen Klopp (Germany/Liverpool), Luis Enrique (Spain/FC Barcelona), Mauricio Pochettino (Argentina/Tottenham Hotspur), Claudio Ranieri (Italy/Leicester City), Fernando Santos (Portugal/Portuguese national team), Diego Pablo Simeone (Argentina/Atletico Madrid), Zinedine Zidane (France/Real Madrid).