MARSEILLE coach Michel was fired Tuesday after less than a year in charge of the crisis-ridden French league club.

    Marseille said in a statement that Michel, who joined the southern club last year following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure, will be replaced by deputy coach Franck Passi until the end of the season. Former Marseille defender Basile Boli, who scored the header that gave Marseille a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the 1993 Champions League final, will assist Passi.

    Marseille, the only French club to win Europe’s top club competition, is winless in 10 league games. With four matches remaining, the club has yet to secure its place in the top division for next season and has recently been put up for sale by owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.

    “Michel did his job, we did not do ours as well,” Marseille defender Romain Alessandrini said. “He tried to find solutions but it did not work. He was sad he put the club in this position.”

    Marseille has not won at home in the league since September and fell to 15th place.  (SD-Agencies)