Bastia and Nouzaret part company

Robert Nouzaret has quit as coach of French first division club SC Bastia.

Club dispute
The 59-year old Corsican arrived at Bastia during the course of the 2001/02 Le Championnat season to replace Frédéric Antonnetti. However, despite achieving good results with the team, he could not overcome misunderstandings with the club chairman and decided to resign.

'Will certainly leave us'
"Robert Nouzaret will certainly leave us," said Bastia chairman François Nicolaï. "We have already agreed on this, but we still have to finalise the modalities of his departure." 

French Cup final
After a short period with AS Saint-Etienne between 1998 and 2000, followed by Toulouse FC in the 2000/01 Division 1 season, Nouzaret impressed at the club, finishing eleventh in the league and reaching the final of the Coupe de France, which they were beaten 1-0 by FC Lorient.

Possible alternatives
Bastia have begun the search for Nouzaret's replacement with the start of the new French season only two months away and there are thought to be three main contenders for the job: Alex Dupont, formerly at CS Sedan-Ardennes, Faruk Hadzibegic, previously with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, and Gérard Gili, who worked at Olympique de Marseille and was also a goalkeeper with Bastia.