Jean-Louis Gasset has been fired as Ivory Coast’s coach two days after their 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
It was Ivory Coast’s biggest home defeat in history, and they became the first Afcon host to lose two group games since 1984.
The Elephants still have a slim chance of making it to the final 16 as one of the top third-placed teams.
Emerse Fae, one of Gasset’s instructors, will take over as interim leader.
The country’s football association stated it has “terminated the contracts” of 70-year-old Gasset and his deputy Ghislain Printant “due to insufficient results”.
Ivory Coast concluded the pool stage with three points in Group A, losing 1-0 to Nigeria after winning 2-0 against Guinea-Bissau in their first match.
The hosts must now await the results of the final group games on Wednesday to see if they can sneak through.
Despite their unexpected setback in Abidjan, their chances of progressing were strengthened when Ghana finished third in Group B with two points.
Gasset, a former Bordeaux coach, was appointed by the federation in May 2022 to replace his compatriot Patrice Beaumelle.
Beaumelle’s contract was not renewed after the Elephants failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and were eliminated from the most recent Nations Cup in Cameroon.