Tottenham acting head coach Cristian Stellini has stated that Fabio Paratici's exit is "very sad for everyone" after the managing director of football parted with the club on Friday. Implicated for his role in former club Juventus' alleged financial mismanagement, Paratici was handed a 30-month ban from Italian football before it was later extended worldwide by FIFA.
Appealing his ban to the Italian Olympic Committee on Wednesday afternoon, the 50-year-old was not successful with his appeal and in the end resigned from his position at Tottenham. Following the news that emerged on Friday morning, Stellini has opened up on the situation and stressed that it has not impacted the team's preparations ahead of Sunday's trip to Newcastle.
"No, this has not affected preparations because Fabio was far from here for a couple of weeks, so nothing changes in this situation," he explained. "But humanly we're very close to Fabio, all of us.
READ MORE: Fabio Paratici's Tottenham exit and what it now means for Daniel Levy in next manager search
"It was a tough period for him and now the final result is very sad for everyone, for him and his family. Humanly we're very close to him. The club made a statement and this is all that I can say."
Confirming that he has been in touch with Paratici since his appeal was rejected, Stellini was asked about how his fellow countryman is currently feeling.
"It's a tough moment so I want to be close humanly with him.," he admitted. "All my heart is with him but it's a tough moment so you can understand this period is tough."
When asked about the effect of all these distractions, he said: "No, I repeat this is not affecting what's happening on the pitch because we're professional and it's been a couple of wees that Fabio was not here. So it's not a shock, we are well prepared."
Stellini also believes that the departure of Paratici should not impact his position in the hotseat before the end of the season.
"It is not a question for me," he admitted. "We are here. I don't think so but it's not a question for me."
Now that Paratici has departed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the acting head coach has confirmed who he now reports to.
"Gretar Steinsson, Daniel Levy and Andy [Scoulding], we have people who work around Fabio that now take his responsibility," he revealed. "We have in every department people that can support us."
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