Lyon replace Fournier with right-hand man Genesio

Hubert Fournier became the second French Ligue 1 coach in two days to be replaced when he was removed from the hotseat at mid-table Lyon on Thursday, the seven-time champions announced.

Lyon said that Fournier's number two, Bruno Genesio will take charge from Monday when he will prepare the team for their first game after the winter break, a French Cup clash against Limoges on January 3.

"Different ideas were studied...the decision was taken to entrust the team to Bruno Genesio, at least until the end of the season," said Lyon in a statement which did not mention Fournier by name.

Lyon are currently in ninth place in the table, a huge 25 points behind runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

They lost 2-1 at Ajaccio last weekend and have taken just one point from a possible 18 in their last six matches.

"The decision was taken in my soul and conscious of the need to qualify for the Champions League. Happy Christmas to everyone," tweeted Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas.
Fournier had been in charge since June 2014 after leaving Reims but he had been under pressure since November when Lyon were eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage.

Genesio, 49, is a former Lyon player having joined the club in 1971 as a junior before making the first team from 1985-1995. He went on to play for Nice and Martigues.

On Wednesday, Rolland Courbis quit as coach of struggling Montpellier following a run of seven games without a win which has left the team in danger of relegation.

The 62-year-old Courbis had been in his second spell at the club, returning in December 2013 after two years in charge from 2007 and 2009.

Courbis steered Montpellier to seventh place last season but the team are currently 15th, just three points above the relegation places following a recent run of six losses in seven games.

In all, five Ligue 1 coaches have been dispensed with this season -- Fournier, Courbis, Jean-Marc Furlan at Troyes, Herve Renard at Lille and Marcelo Bielsa who quit Marseille on the first day of the season.
Source: AFP