ROME (AFP) - Zdenek Zeman's high-profile return to Foggia has ended in divorce with the Czech coach announcing on Monday that he is leaving the third division club.
Foggia finished sixth in Pool B of the two-division third tier and missed out on the promotion play-offs by one place, although by 10 points.
"With Foggia I didn't manage to win the league and that was the target I had set myself," said Zeman.
"And not being sure that I will be able to do it next season, I'm leaving."
Zeman's one-year contract was coming to an end anyway but he said the club had tried to convince him to stay.
The 64-year-old is Foggia's most celebrated coach and was the architect of the 'Miracle of Foggia' in the early 1990s.
That was when Zeman took the club into Serie A where they spent three seasons impressing neutral observers with their free-flowing attacking football.
Zeman's style of play was dubbed 'Zemanlandia' in the Italian press.
Having gone on to coach Lazio, Roma, Napoli, Fenerbahce in Turkey and Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, Zeman returned to Foggia at the beginning of this season after a 16-year hiatus.
His return created a lot of excitement in the town and also saw a return to his attacking football principles.
They were the top scorers in the league, scoring 14 more than anyone else, but also recorded the worst defence, conceding 13 more than their nearest rivals.
Foggia finished sixth in Pool B of the two-division third tier and missed out on the promotion play-offs by one place, although by 10 points.
"With Foggia I didn't manage to win the league and that was the target I had set myself," said Zeman.
"And not being sure that I will be able to do it next season, I'm leaving."
Zeman's one-year contract was coming to an end anyway but he said the club had tried to convince him to stay.
The 64-year-old is Foggia's most celebrated coach and was the architect of the 'Miracle of Foggia' in the early 1990s.
That was when Zeman took the club into Serie A where they spent three seasons impressing neutral observers with their free-flowing attacking football.
Zeman's style of play was dubbed 'Zemanlandia' in the Italian press.
Having gone on to coach Lazio, Roma, Napoli, Fenerbahce in Turkey and Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, Zeman returned to Foggia at the beginning of this season after a 16-year hiatus.
His return created a lot of excitement in the town and also saw a return to his attacking football principles.
They were the top scorers in the league, scoring 14 more than anyone else, but also recorded the worst defence, conceding 13 more than their nearest rivals.
Their 34 matches produced 125 goals, just shy of four per game.
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