Star out

Sampdoria chief keen to push through Cassano exit

November 16, 2010

Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone wants the club and troubled star Antonio Cassano to part company as soon as possible, but admitted he hopes the Italy forward "will find a club adequate to his talent".

Antonio Cassano
GettyImagesAntonio Cassano has been the subject of controversy once more

Cassano, 28, was dropped from the Samp squad last month following a heated argument with Garrone in the dressing room.

The Genoa outfit have filed a request to the Lega Calcio to revoke the striker's contract for insubordination, a move which will likely spark a scramble for his services.

"We want to move on,'' Garrone told Gazzetta dello Sport. People have asked for that and so has my conscience.

"We have asked for the contract to be rescinded for a right cause and I hope that the situation will be concluded from a media point of view, also because Cassano is the one suffering and I hope he will find a club adequate to his talent.''

Garrone decided to take a strong stance against Cassano, despite the player apologising in a television interview.

"His apology? Sometimes in order to defend oneself, lies are told,'' Garrone said.

The Sampdoria president felt that he had no other option than to cut ties with the former Real Madrid man because he had argued with him in front of the other players.

"Had it been just the two of us then I would have given him four punches and that would have been the end of it,'' he added.

Cassano's contract runs until June 2013 and in the five games that Samp have played without him, the club have won just once, slipping to 10th in the standings.