FC Nantes: Vahid Halilhodzic replaces Ahmed Kantari
"FC Nantes announce that Ahmed Kantari has stepped aside as manager of the first team [...] he is replaced by Vahid Halilhodzic until the end of the season," wrote Les Canaris. "A legendary player for the club during the 1980s (1981-86), Vahid Halilhodzic knows the institution well, having also managed the club between 2018 and 2019," the club added.
The 73-year-old, a former goalscorer for the club during the '80s, the Bosnian has already had a stint on the bench during the 2018/19 season, when he succeeded Portuguese manager Miguel Cardoso at the start of October, following eight Ligue 1 McDonald's games, finishing the season in midtable.
La première séance dirigée par Coach Vahid 🧢
— FC Nantes (@FCNantes) March 11, 2026
Also the former manager of Lille, PSG, and Rennes in France, as well as Trabzonspor in Turkey and Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, Halilhodzic has also managed the national teams of the Ivory Coast, Algeria, Japan, and Morocco, the latter being his final managerial position (2019-2022).
At Nantes, he replaces Kantari, who arrived on the bench in December, replacing Luís Castro. But with eight defeats in 10 Ligue 1 McDonald's games, he has not managed to have the desired positive effect.
Safety mission for Halilhodzic
Halilhodzic will have the objective of keeping Nantes, currently 17th, in Ligue 1 McDonald's. The club are currently two points away from Auxerre, 16th and in the relegation play-off spot, and five points off Nice in 15th. There are still nine gameweeks remaining in Ligue 1 McDonald's.
His first match on the bench will be against Strasbourg at the Beaujoire, on 22nd March, before two away games against relegation candidates Metz (18th place) and Auxerre (16th place). Those games will practically be Nantes' final chances.
As was the case in the 2023/24 season when Jocelyn Gourvennec replaced Pierre Aristouy, before himself being replaced by Antoine Kombouaré eight games before the end of the season, FCN have once again a season managed by three different managers. Nantes are now on their 22nd different manager, not including interim managers, since the club was bought by the Kita family in 2007.
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