Nantes' French head coach Antoine Kombouare looks on prior to the French L1 football match between FC Nantes and Montpellier Herault SC at the Stade de la Beaujoire–Louis Fonteneau in Nantes, western France. AFP
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 Kombouare, head coach of the professional team,” Nantes posted on X. “The club sincerely thanks Antoine Kombouare and his staff for their professionalism and dedication.”
The Ligue 1 side’s squad includes Egyptian international striker Mostafa Mohamed, who joined them from Turkish side Galatasaray in 2023 in a permanent basis following a one-year-loan spell.
The 61-year-old Kombouare 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.
Kombouare 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.
Kombouare 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.
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