Lille fire coach Renard after 13 matches

Struggling Lille have fired coach Herve Renard after just 13 league matches, the French club said Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the 47-year-old Frenchman led the Ivory Coast to its first African Cup of Nations title since 1992, three years after leading unheralded Zambia to victory.

But he has struggled in his first season in charge, with Lille just one point above the relegation zone in 16th place.

In a statement on their website, Lille said this is "a perilous position and certainly not in keeping with the club's ambitions".

Club President Michel Seydoux rebuked Renard last month for saying in a newspaper interview that he'd like to coach Marseille one day, and that Lille were merely a springboard towards bigger things.