Udinese axe De Canio

De Canio failed to halt Udinese's slide

Italian Serie A club Udinese have axed coach Luigi De Canio following their 3-1 defeat by Parma at the weekend.

The sacking comes days after the club's general manager Pierpaolo Marino decided to resign.

De Canio had been under pressure after failing to halt the club's alarming slide down the table which has seen them lose their last four games.

Sunday's result leaves Udinese 12th and just six points off the relegation zone.

De Canio's assistant Alessandro Zampa will take over on a temporary basis but former Sampdoria coach Luciano Spalletti and ex-Chelsea boss Gianluca Vialli are both being tipped for the job.