Nice and coach Claude Puel part after 4th place in Ligue 1

NICE, France (AP) - Nice and coach Claude Puel have surprisingly parted ways following the Riviera side's run to a fourth-place finish in the French league.

A joint statement posted on Nice's website said: "We came to a common decision not to continue our collaboration."

Puel, who also coached Monaco, Lille, and Lyon in the French league, spent four seasons in Nice.

Partly thanks to winger Hatem Ben Arfa, who scored 17 league goals, Nice was one of the most attractive teams this season.