Claudio Ranieri sacked after Greece shock defeat to Faroe Islands

The Italian was told the news on Saturday following their 1-0 home defeat in Group F.

The 2004 champions are bottom of the table with just a single point from four matches.

After the match the 63-year-old accepted responsibility for the latest setback but sounded defiant in the post-match press conference, saying he would work his way out of the situation.

"I have no words to explain what happened," he said in comments reported on uefa.com. "We all wanted to record our first victory in the group. But the Faroese deserved to win as they created more chances to score. Only hard work can get us out of this situation.

"When the qualifiers started nobody believed we would find ourselves in this situation. We were wrong in believing that was a straightforward group for us. All defeats hurt equally, but we must leave results in the past and work our way out of this situation.

"We are last in our group because that is what we deserve. The coach is always responsible for that. Back in September, most of my players were low on form following the World Cup, but this week during training I saw my players very lively and motivated. That's why I am very surprised about the result."

In a statement on the Hellenic Football Federation's website, HFF president Giorgos Sarris admitted he was sorry for ever hiring Ranieri - apparently suggesting he would be sacked imminently.

"Following today's devastating result for the national team, I take full responsibility for the most unfortunate choice of coach, which has resulted in such a poor image of the national team being put before the fans," Sarris said.

"The governing board will convene and take responsibility among all the members to make the necessary changes needed to avoid a repeat of such an embarrassing night."

However, he will remain in charge until after Tuesday’s friendly international against Serbia on Tuesday.