Lucien Favre sacked as Nice manager half a year after grand return

OGC Nice have sacked Lucien Favre following the club’s shock defeat to Le Puy in the Coupe de France. The returning manager lasted just over six months in the job.

Swiss manager Favre, who enjoyed a successful first spell at the Allianz Riviera between 2016 and 2018, hasn’t managed to replicate his success a second time around. Having arrived in June 2022, replacing PSG-bound Christophe Galtier, Favre has struggled domestically.

Les Aiglons, who last year earned European football, are currently languishing down in 11th place and were knocked out of the Coupe de France by inferior opposition last weekend, having reached the final of the competition last season.

Despite new sporting director Florent Ghisolfi vocally supporting Favre, whose job has been seemingly under pressure since October, the decision was taken on Monday to part ways. Didier Digard, who was recently integrated into Favre’s backroom staff, will take charge “until further notice”, a press release from the club has announced.

It is unclear whether Digard is the long-term or the interim option with names such as Julien Stéphan and Domenico Tedesco being linked with the job by RMC Sport. 

Whoever takes over has the task of continuing Nice’s Europa Conference League adventure while also instigating a turn in fortunes in Ligue 1, where the objectives of the ambitious Ineos owners will still be to obtain European football for next season.

 

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

 

Photo by Monaco Life

Covid-19 latest: No real post-Christmas, New Year spike

The circulation of Covid remains relatively stable in Monaco, despite an anticipated increase during the return to work/school period of the new year.

The government of Monaco had recommended that everyone get tested for Covid-19 after the busy festive period, but according to official weekly figures, only 815 residents and non-residents in Monaco took a PCR or antigen test in the week ending 8th January.

Of those, 9.4% came back positive, compared to 11.4% the previous week, continuing a weeks-long decline.

Last week, a total of 45 new resident Covid cases were identified in Monaco, up from 40 the previous week. Hospitalisations are also slightly higher, with 14 Covid patients, including eight residents, being treated at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre. One non-resident is in ICU.

The incidence rate in Monaco now sits at 115, not far from last week’s figure of 102.

In the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes department, the positivity rate is 12.2% and the incidence rate is 129.

 

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

 

Photo source: Unsplash