Palermo coach Davide Ballardini hailed his players after they beat relegation on Sunday.

Their 3-2 victory over Verona proved enough to secure their top flight status, sending Carpi into Serie B.

"Carpi worked hard and were always competitive, so we tip our hats to them and I think they'll be back," the coach told Sky Sport Italia.

The Sicilians had an extraordinary nine changes of management since November, including Ballardini's sacking and return after a bitter row with captain Stefano Sorrentino.

"Considering everything that happened, I'd say achieving safety was a masterpiece. Few gave us a chance of doing it.

"When I returned, we cleared the air and everyone was working in the same direction. The first time I came here, it was not a team, there were many people who were unhappy and the side was not expressing itself in the right way.

"We managed to pull together and when I returned, I realised this was finally a team that was working together for the common good. It was then I knew we could do it."