Nantes fires coach Kombouaré after struggle to stay in Ligue 1
Associated Press
NANTES, France (AP) — Nantes fired coach Antoine Kombouaré on Tuesday after a difficult season where the club battled to stay in Ligue 1.
Nantes finished 13th in the 18-team league and top-flight survival was not certain until the final round.
'FC Nantes announces the end of its collaboration with Antoine Kombouaré, head coach of the professional team,' Nantes posted on X. 'The club sincerely thanks Antoine Kombouaré and his staff for their professionalism and dedication.'
The 61-year-old Kombouaré had one year left on his contract.
He remains a popular figure at the club, having saved it from relegation in 2021 and winning the French Cup in 2022 — the club's first trophy in 21 years.
Kombouaré had a difficult relationship with Nantes president Waldemir Kita, who fired him in 2023 and re-hired him amid another relegation scrap the following year.
Kombouaré was part of the Nantes team when the club's La Beaujoire stadium opened in 1984, and played 177 games as a rugged defender for Nantes, which has won eight league titles. ___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Guardians ace Shane Bieber stays optimistic despite facing setback in rehab
CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber promised himself after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April that he would be honest about his rehabilitation process. Even though the Cleveland Guardians ace is going through his first setback, Bieber is trying to remain optimistic. Bieber is in the middle of a seven-day pause from throwing after experiencing soreness in his right elbow following his first rehab start on May 31 and a bullpen session on Tuesday. The right-hander was scheduled to make his second rehab start with Double-A Akron on Friday before being shut down. 'My mind went back to a very close buddy of mine said a few weeks or a few months back when I was starting bullpens. He was like, 'Just don't freak out. If you get a setback, everybody gets at least one,'' Bieber said before Saturday's game against the Houston Astros. 'I was hoping to be that anomaly, but at the same time, maybe it's just part of the process and I'm trying to listen to my elbow and my body and do what's best for myself and the team in the long term.' Bieber will be checked again the middle of next week before the team's medical staff and specialist Dr. Keith Meister decide the next steps. Bieber threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in an Arizona Complex League game on May 31, which was his 30th birthday. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner faced nine batters, allowed one hit and struck out five while throwing 42 pitches. 'I'm a little frustrated with the timing of it as I get out here to Cleveland and join the team, but unfortunately, these rehab processes aren't exactly linear,' Bieber said. 'I've had a fantastic progression up to this point. A small hiccup, but hopefully we'll just keep it at just that.' Bieber — who agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026 — appeared to be on pace to return to the Guardians' rotation in late June, but that could be delayed until after the All-Star break. Cleveland (33-29) went into Saturday 7 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, and a half-game out of a wild-card spot. Guardians starters have the sixth-highest ERA in the American League (4.11). ___ AP baseball:
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Guardians ace Shane Bieber stays optimistic despite facing setback in rehab
Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber promised himself after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April that he would be honest about his rehabilitation process. Even though the Cleveland Guardians ace is going through his first setback, Bieber is trying to remain optimistic. Bieber is in the middle of a seven-day pause from throwing after experiencing soreness in his right elbow following his first rehab start on May 31 and a bullpen session on Tuesday. The right-hander was scheduled to make his second rehab start with Double-A Akron on Friday before being shut down. 'My mind went back to a very close buddy of mine said a few weeks or a few months back when I was starting bullpens. He was like, 'Just don't freak out. If you get a setback, everybody gets at least one,'' Bieber said before Saturday's game against the Houston Astros. 'I was hoping to be that anomaly, but at the same time, maybe it's just part of the process and I'm trying to listen to my elbow and my body and do what's best for myself and the team in the long term.' Bieber will be checked again the middle of next week before the team's medical staff and specialist Dr. Keith Meister decide the next steps. Bieber threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in an Arizona Complex League game on May 31, which was his 30th birthday. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner faced nine batters, allowed one hit and struck out five while throwing 42 pitches. 'I'm a little frustrated with the timing of it as I get out here to Cleveland and join the team, but unfortunately, these rehab processes aren't exactly linear,' Bieber said. 'I've had a fantastic progression up to this point. A small hiccup, but hopefully we'll just keep it at just that.' Bieber — who agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026 — appeared to be on pace to return to the Guardians' rotation in late June, but that could be delayed until after the All-Star break. Cleveland (33-29) went into Saturday 7 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, and a half-game out of a wild-card spot. Guardians starters have the sixth-highest ERA in the American League (4.11). ___ AP baseball: recommended
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sabalenka rues another missed chance against Gauff in French Open final: 'This one hurts so much'
PARIS (AP) — While Coco Gauff was taking selfies on Court Philippe-Chatrier to celebrate her triumph on the Parisian clay, her opponent on the other side of the umpire's chair was filled with anger and sadness. As Roland-Garros officials prepared the court for the trophy ceremony, Aryna Sabalenka sat with her gaze lost in the distance before she took a towel and covered her face. And when it finally came time to speak, Sabalenka was silent for a long moment, as if on the verge of tears. The assessment of her own performance, when she finally took the microphone to address the Roland-Garros crowd, was ruthless. 'Honestly guys, this one hurts so much," she said. 'To show such terrible tennis in the final does really hurt.' The top-ranked Sabalenka won the first set as her high-risk approach brought dividends initially. But once Gauff found her stride, the Belarusian's errors became more and more frequent and she lost the match between the world's two highest-ranked players 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. Sabalenka hit 37 winners but finished the match with a staggering 70 unforced errors — compared to Gauff's 30. Sabalenka also dropped her serve nine times. 'I think I was overemotional,' she said. 'I didn't really handle myself quite well mentally, I would say. So basically that's it. I was just making unforced errors. I think she won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes from — like, if you look from the outside, kind of like from easy balls." The disappointment was even greater given that Sabalenka has worked hard to adapt her game to the slow surface over the years, and after she ended Iga Swiatek's 26-match unbeaten streak at the French Open in the semifinals. 'You've been playing against a lot of tough opponents, Olympic champion, Iga, and then you go out, and you play really bad,' she said during her post-match interview. 'It was honestly the worst tennis I've played in the last, I don't know how many months." Sabalenka also complained about the weather conditions. The retractable roof over the center court remained open during the final, and Sabalenka was visibly annoyed by bursts of wind sweeping across the court. 'Conditions were terrible," the three-time major champion said. 'When she would hit the ball, at some point the wind would just let the ball fly like crazy, and you know, I was late every time.' This was the second major final Sabalenka lost to Gauff, after the 2023 U.S. Open, where she also won the first set. Sabalenka had won their most recent meeting on clay this year in Madrid and thought she had the weapons to beat the American on the biggest stage. 'It's another tough Grand Slam final against Coco,' Sabalenka said. 'Another terrible performance from me against Coco in the final. I have to step back, look at this from a perspective, and try to finally learn the lesson, because I cannot go out there every time against her in Grand Slam finals and play such terrible tennis and give those wins, not easily, but emotionally.' ___
