Stade Francais sack Karim Ghezal just 4 games into Top 14 season

Karim Ghezal has left his role as head coach of Stade Francais, less than 48 hours after last season’s Top 14 semi-finalists slipped to a third defeat in four matches.

A terse club statement confirmed reports that Ghezal’s 11-month reign was over: “By mutual agreement, the collaboration between Stade Francais Paris and Mr Karim Ghezal has come to an end,” it read. “Stade Francais Paris would like to thank Karim Ghezal for the work he has done and for reaching the semi-finals last season.”

Saturday’s 30-16 defeat at Pau – following an opening-day 46-26 loss at Bordeaux and a 10-14 reversal at home to Toulon – saw Stade slip to 13th. Their only success has been a 34-31 home win against promoted Vannes.

Ghezal’s term at Stade Jean Bouin was as turbulent as it was short. He quit his role with the France squad to become head coach, alongside director of rugby Laurent Labit, shortly after their exit from Rugby World Cup 2023.

Tensions soon followed. Reports of a rift with players surfaced after a 30-6 defeat, also at Pau, in November 2023. In January, following further internal bust-ups, including a public pitchside row with the now-departed Joris Segonds at Clermont’s Stade Marcel Michelin, a player delegation confronted Labit.

The sporting director temporarily soothed the situation. But, despite reaching the Top 14 play-off semi-finals internal tensions had not dissipated, and relations – crucially – between the dream ticket Labit-Ghezal coaching duo had soured.

Ghezal was forced to give up a number of responsibilities, including matchday selections, during a summer coaching reorganisation that also saw Labit return to day-to-day coaching, working with attack coach Morgan Parra.

It was sold as a positive. Before the season kicked off, Labit told L’Equipe: “Karim puts to music what I have decided about the game or strategy.”

It didn’t work. Saturday’s loss left Labit little choice but to part company with the coach whose arrival he had touted positively. But Ghezal’s departure raises new political staffing questions at Stade Francais that will need to be answered sooner rather than later.

Defence coach Paul Gustard is expected to step into the breach left by Ghezal's departure in the short-term at least, according to Rugbyrama. He is popular with the players and had previously briefly undertaken head coach responsibilities, guiding the club in the interregnum between the departure of Gonzalo Quesada at the end of the 2023/24 season and the arrival of Labit and Ghezal after the World Cup.