Athens: Italian Andrea Stramaccioni resigned Thursday as coach of Panathinaikos one year into his two-year contract, the Greek Super League club announced.
Stramaccioni, 40, who coached Italian side Udinese and before that was in charge at Inter Milan, has led Panathinaikos to third place in the domestic league.
But the team are on the verge of being eliminated from both the Europa League and Greek Cup.
"After a long conversation with club president Giannis Alafouzos, it was the president's decision to protect the team from dangerous developments that are not directly related to football, and thus Andrea Stramaccioni has resigned as coach," a club statement said.
Supporters had threatened to boycott Panathinaikos matches if Stramaccioni stayed in charge.
Greek media reported that 48-year-old former Greek international defender Marinos Ouzounidis was a likely replacement.
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