“He couldn’t stay in London” – Manager had to leave QPR due to ‘personal problems’

Luigi di Canio was QPR manager from October 2007 until May 2008. “Gigi” was popular among the club’s fanbase and his style won him many suporters.

It wasn’t football which saw his exit in the end, and his contract was ripped up via mutual consent.

The Italian came to the club after a stint at Siena but he had managed Italian sides in European competitions multiple times.

Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, who owned QPR at that point, has again said that the former manager’s exit from Loftus Road was due to personal reasons on Di Canio’s end.

He told Radio Goal, as relayed by TuttoNapoli: “When I had the football team I changed six coaches in five years. 

“I had De Canio who I would have gladly kept at QPR, then he had personal problems and couldn’t stay in London. I had Paulo Sousa too.”

Di Canio was popular at QPR due to the playing style he brought to the plate but the premature exit came about at the end of the 2007/08 campaign.

He then moved to Lecce, where he brought the club back to Serie A before being sacked.

It was after Di Canio’s exit that QPR fans begun questioning Briatore’s ownership of the club and as he himself admits – he had a habit of sacking managers quickly and that led to problems in the side.