Nantes part company with Amisse

By Christian Isnard

FC Nantes Atlantique have split with coach Loïc Amisse and installed his reserve team coach and the club's former defender Serge Le Dizet in his place.

Winless streak
Amisse was sacked after a series of bad results which put Nantes fourth from bottom in Ligue 1, 21 points adrift of leaders Olympique Lyonnais. Nantes were the last club before Lyon to clinch French league, in 2001, but have not won a game since 16 October.

Tense meeting
The decision to relieve Amisse of his duties follows a tense meeting last week when players took sides with goalkeeper and captain Mickaël Landreau, who has played all his career at the club but who hit out at Amisse and club president Jean-Luc Gripond in an interview.

Reins withdrawn
A club statement read: "After assessing the situation following talks between the players, the coach and the directors on Wednesday, 29 December, it has been decided to withdraw the first-team reins from Loïc Amisse. Training will be handed to Serge Le Dizet on Monday."

First task
The first task for 40-year-old Le Dizet, who played in Nantes' championship winning side of 1994/95, will be to prepare his players for Saturday's French Cup tie at FC Cournon
d'Auvergne. Ligue 1 resumes on 12 January.