Montpellier have sacked coach Romain Pitau after less than four months in charge, the Ligue 1 strugglers announced on Tuesday.
The club said in a statement that Pitau and his assistants Pascal Baills and Frederic Mendy had been "provisionally suspended", a turn of phrase in French that in this context always means the coach will not be returning to the post.
The 45-year-old Pitau, who played in the Montpellier team that won the Ligue 1 title in 2012, had only taken over at the end of October following the sacking of predecessor Olivier Dall'Oglio.
He leaves the southern side just two points above the relegation zone in France's top flight following a 2-0 weekend loss at Strasbourg.
Pitau won just two and lost seven of his 11 league games at the helm and also oversaw an exit from the French Cup at the first hurdle to second-tier side Pau.
The club are expected to announce his successor at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.