NICE, France (AP) — French soccer great Patrick Vieira was fired as coach of Nice on Friday after his team was eliminated from the Europa League.
Nice said in a statement that Vieira was “no longer head coach … effective immediately.” The decision followed Nice’s 3-2 loss Thursday at home to Bayer Leverkusen — a fourth defeat in five games in its Europa League group.
The club, owned by the Ineos chemicals group of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, is also 11th in the 20-team French league.
“Patrick Vieira put all his heart and professionalism into his service for OGC Nice over the last two and a half years of their collaboration,” the club said.