Marseille suspend head coach Michel on eve of Coupe de France semi-final
Marseille have suspended head coach Michel on the eve of the club's Coupe de France semi-final.
A dismal season for the Ligue 1 giants has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks, with Marseille winless in their last seven matches.
They have fallen away to 15th place in the table, and sit uncomfortably just six points above the relegation zone with four rounds of fixtures remaining.
A statement on the club's website read: "Given the behaviour of Michel, notably during these last three weeks, the professional sports limited company of Olympique Marseille has suspended him with immediate effect and summoned him to a preliminary interview.
"Until the end of the season, Franck Passi, assistant coach, will oversee the team and will be assisted in his mission by Basile Boli, who is named as sports co-ordinator."
Marseille play Sochaux in the French cup on Wednesday evening.
Speculation had surrounded Michel's position before the announcement came, with reports in France claiming variously that he had been seeking a way out of the club, and that Marseille had been eager to move him on.
The relationship between Michel and club president Vincent Labrune has also come under close scrutiny, with French media widely suggesting it had become frosty between the two men.
Michel had expressed concern about the state of his team after their weekend defeat to south-coast rivals Monaco, saying there was a sense of "sadness and abandonment" within the playing staff.
Marseille were last week put up for sale by their owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.
The Swiss-Russian businesswoman took over the club, and the Louis Dreyfus Group, following the death of her husband Robert from leukaemia in 2009 and has since invested heavily.
In announcing the sale, she spoke of the club's recent highs of winning the league title in 2010 and consecutive Coupe de la Ligue triumphs from 2010 to 2012, but also referenced the lows - "notably at the moment", she pointed out.