Patrick Vieira sacked as Nice coach after run of defeats

Patrick Vieira has been sacked as coach of Nice and changed by his assistant following a run of 5 consecutive defeats, the French Ligue 1 membership introduced on Friday.

The last straw for the previous Arsenal participant and France 1998 World Cup winner was Thursday’s 3-2 defeat at dwelling to Bayer Leverkusen, which confirmed Nice’s elimination from the Europa League.

Adrian Ursea will take over from Vieira. The 53-year-old Romanian, who has spent a lot of his enjoying and training profession in Switzerland, had been an assistant to earlier Nice coach Lucien Favre and returned final 12 months to work beneath Vieira.

“In a meeting after last night’s match, the Nice board informed Patrick Vieira of its decision to put an end to their collaboration,” the membership mentioned in an announcement.

“Patrick Vieira put all his heart and professionalism into his service for OGC Nice over the last two and a half years.”

Appointed in 2018, Vieira had been beneath rising strain after final week’s shock dwelling defeat by struggling Dijon left the formidable Cote d’Azur membership within the backside half of Ligue 1.

His facet had been badly hampered by the lack of veteran captain Dante, the previous Brazil defender, to a critical knee harm.

Now 44, Vieira had not labored in France since leaving Cannes for AC Milan in 1995 however joined Nice in June 2018 after two and a half years in command of MLS facet New York City FC.

Before that he had been teaching the event squad at Manchester City, the place he ended his enjoying profession in 2011.

– Ambitious Ineos –

Vieira took Nice to seventh in Ligue 1 in his first season after which fifth place and European qualification within the final marketing campaign, which was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nice had been hoping to construct on that and problem in direction of the highest of the desk this season following appreciable funding from the membership’s house owners Ineos.

The group chaired by Monaco-based British petrochemicals billionaire Jim Ratcliffe took over Nice final 12 months, including the membership to a portfolio of sporting ventures which included Swiss facet Lausanne-Sport but additionally biking’s Team Ineos, previously Team Sky.

Ineos, which has additionally invested within the Mercedes Formula One workforce and an America’s Cup crusing workforce, needs Nice to grow to be regulars in European competitors, a standing that presently seems beneath risk, even when they’re solely six factors off the highest 5 in Ligue 1 and have a sport in hand.

After Thursday’s defeat, which was their fourth in 5 Europa League group matches, Vieira admitted he was “weakened as any coach who has lost five consecutive games is”.

“We are as disappointed as the supporters,” he mentioned.

Born in Senegal, Vieira was capped 107 occasions by France between 1997 and 2009.

He got here off the bench of their win over Brazil within the 1998 World Cup last after which performed a central position in France’s victory at Euro 2000.

Vieira additionally performed within the workforce that reached the World Cup last in 2006, whereas at membership degree he loved huge success in 9 years beneath Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, profitable three Premier League titles.

He just isn’t the one star of that France era to have been sacked by a Ligue 1 membership in latest occasions: Thierry Henry, his former colleague at Arsenal, notably had a disastrous three-month spell at Monaco in 2018/19.

Vieira has previously acknowledged a want to someday return to handle in Italy — the place he additionally performed for Juventus and Inter Milan — or England, however his departure from Nice is more likely to be a serious setback to these plans.