Montpellier’s boss was sacked live on air by the club’s president.
The French side are bottom of Ligue 1, the highest division of French football, with only four points from 8 games – registering just one this season.
And Sunday’s (October 20) 5-0 home defeat to Marseille put the nail in the coffin for manager Michel Der Zakarian. Der Zakarian was sacked live on air when the president of the club, Laurent Nicollin, joked he couldn’t change all 25 players at once.
After conceding a whopping 26 goals since the season started, the 51-year-old president had clearly had enough.
“We can’t change 25 players, so, unfortunately, I’ve taken the initiative to stop Michel tonight,” Nicollin told DAZN France. “We talked in the locker room after the game. I told him it was over tonight.
“And I said to the players that, thanks to their great job, they had fired the coach and that they need to take their responsibilities next week against Toulouse.”
12 years ago, Montpellier won their first ever Ligue 1 title – however, it hasn’t been plain sailing for the French side since they conquered France with Olivier Giroud running the line.
Mason Greenwood was included on the Marseille score sheet with a 58th minute goal to finish off a counter attack. The ex-Manchester United forward moved from Getafe at the start of this season.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Der Zakarian has now become the first Ligue 1 manager to lose his job this season. He had previously held a stint on Montpellier from 2017-2021.
In between returning back to the club he has now been sacked from he spent a season at Brest, who are now in the Champions League.