ESTAC Troyes have announced the dismissal of coach Bruno Irles from his position as head coach with the promoted club - making him the sixth coach to be replaced in this unusual season as Ligue 1 Uber Eats gets set to lim down from 20 clubs to 18.
Bruno Irles, coach of ESTAC Troyes since January, has been sacked "as of today", the club announced on Tuesday. The club, currently 13th in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, has not claimed a victory since mid-September.
"For the time being, and until further notice, the role of head coach will be carried out by former assistant coach Claude Robin," announced the club that will take on Stade Brestois on Sunday just before the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (20 November-18 December).
Sixth coach dismissed
Bruno Irles is the sixth Ligue 1 Uber Eats coach to be sacked since the start of the season, following Peter Bosz at OL, Michel Der Zakarian at Brest, Jean-Marc Furlan at AJ Auxerre, Oscar Garcia at Stade de Reims and Olivier Dall'Oglio at Montpellier HSC.
Appointed on 3 January to replace Laurent Batlles, Irles was supposed to contribute to the development policy of young players at ESTAC, a club bought by the City Football Group, whose flagship is Manchester City. But while he managed to keep Troyes in the top flight last May, finishing 15th, his team's start to the season has been sluggish, with only three wins in 14 games - the last of which came on 18 September at Clermont (1-3).
The decision to oust Irles comes at a time when the fight for survival is even more intense, with the spectre of four relegation battles scheduled at the end of the season, reducing the top flight from 20 to 18 clubs. After 14 games, ESTAC Troyes are just three points ahead of 17th-placed AC Ajaccio and the drop zone.
