Nantes promote Aristouy in place of sacked Kombouaré

FC Nantes has promoted Under 19 coach Pierre Aristouy to the manager role after the dismissal of Antoine Kombouare.

Former defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo will assist the new head coach for the four remaining Ligue 1 games.

The sack of Kombouare has been due to the team’s struggle in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats, as the team currently occupies the 17th spot in the log – relegation zone.

The club now relies on internal solutions for the season’s final sprint. According to the statement released by the club via its website,  Aristouy will be in charge of the team for the last four games of the season alongside Vizcarrondo as they battle relegation.

Before becoming the club’s full-time manager, Kombouaré was called to the rescue in February 2021, and then in Ligue 1 Uber Eats that season. He led them to the Coupe de France trophy the following year – his first title in over two decades.

Despite reaching the knockout stage of the Europa League and another Coupe de France final in 2023, Nice struggled to accumulate points in the domestic league. They are currently two points behind AJ Auxerre (16th) and three behind Stade Brestois 29 (15th) and RC Strasbourg Alsace (14th). Their last win in the league was in mid-February.

The Management felt the need for immediate change after Nice suffered three defeats in just one week: against Toulouse FC at the Stade de France (5-1) and two 2-0 league defeats against Brest and Strasbourg, who are their direct competitors for relegation survival.

Not ready to let Kombouaré, who was at the end of his contract, stay till summer, club president Waldemar Kita will hope for their stay in the top division as he entrusted the squad to two in-house coaches as the time is too short both for an external solution and to leave himself the possibility of bringing in someone more renowned for next season in case of top-flight survival.

The current manager is a former striker who played for Les Canaris after graduating from the youth academy in Nantes.

Aristouy was hired after recording success with the U19s since his return as a coach in 2017.

The task in front of him and Venezuela international Vizcarrondo, who also wore the Yellow and Green shirt between 2013 and 2017, is enormous.

Their next four opponents includ3 Toulouse, Montpellier HSC, LOSC, and Angers SCO, who have one or two things to fight for. Angers would be happy to drag their local rivals down with them.

Written by Oladipupo Mojeed