Christophe Galtier stepping down as Saint-Etienne coach

Posted May 09, 2017 7:00 am

The Associated Press

SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) - Christophe Galtier is stepping down as coach of Saint-Etienne at the end of the season after more than 350 games in charge.

The French club said on its website on Tuesday that a mutual decision was reached between the club co-presidents and Galtier, who has been in charge since November 2009.

Saint-Etienne has not yet named the new coach.

The 50-year-old Galtier is hugely popular among fans and saved the once-storied club from relegation to the second division in his first season. He steadily rebuilt and secured top-five finishes for three straight seasons from 2012-2015.

Under Galtier's guidance Saint-Etienne won the League Cup in 2013 - 32 years after winning the last of its 10 French league titles - and that season he was co-named French coach of the year along with Paris Saint-Germain's Carlo Ancelotti.

Saint-Etienne finished sixth last season and is currently seventh with three matches remaining.

Galtier's home farewell at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard will be on Sunday against defending champion PSG, which is on the verge of losing its league title to Monaco.

Nicknamed "Les Verts" (The Greens), Saint-Etienne was France's most popular team during its heyday in the 1970s and early 1980s.

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