MILAN: Rafa Benitez's spell as Inter Milan coach ended after just six months Thursday. The European and Italian champion announced that it has reached a “mutually satisfactory agreement” with Benitez to terminate his contract, which ran until the end of next season. Benitez, who took charge in June after Jose Mourinho joined Real Madrid, guided Inter to the Club World Cup title Saturday. But the European champion is languishing in seventh place in Serie A, 13 points behind city rival AC Milan. “Inter Milan and Rafael Benitez can announce that they have reached a mutually satisfactory agreement for the early termination of his contract,” the club said on its website. “Inter thank Rafael Benitez for his work in leading his team to success in the Italian Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.” Former AC Milan coach Leonardo is being tipped to replace Benitez by the time Serie A resumes Jan. 6, with Inter hosting second-place Napoli. Benitez arrived in Milan after six years in charge at Liverpool, where he won the Champions League in 2005. He reportedly angered club President Massimo Moratti after the Club World Cup when he demanded that the board either fully support him and buy new players in January, or let him go. “I'm disappointed over the end of the relationship with Benitez, but the breakup had become pretty much inevitable,” Moratti was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. Benitez's reign has been strained almost from the start, although he had a hard act to follow, with Mourinho having led Inter to the Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League titles last season - the first such treble for an Italian club. Under Benitez, Inter was beaten 2-0 by Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup in August and opened the defense of its Champions League title in September with a disappointing 2-2 draw at unheralded Dutch side FC Twente, which was making its debut in the competition. Other failures followed, such as a 3-1 loss at Tottenham in Europe, and a painful 1-0 loss to Milan in the city derby last month. In Benitez's defense, Inter has been devastated by a series of injuries to top players, with the likes of Julio Cesar, Maicon, Walter Samuel, Cristian Chivu, Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito all missing large chunks of action. In addition, standout striker Samuel Eto'o was handed a three-match ban in Serie A for head-butting an opponent with Chievo Verona last month, and playmaker Wesley Sneijder has been far from his best after leading the Netherlands to the World Cup final. Sneijder acknowledged last month that he was suffering from anemia. Leonardo coached AC Milan last season but the term ended abruptly when the Brazilian clashed with club owner and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Leonardo played for Milan for four years between 1997 and 2001 before returning to Brazil and working in a scouting role, in which he helped Milan secure the signings of Kaka and Alexandre Pato. In 2008, he was appointed as Milan's technical director, then received his first coaching position in the wake of Carlo Ancelotti's departure to Chelsea. “All the names being tossed about for the future coach of Inter are interesting,” Moratti said.
