Charlton owner sacks Chris Powell and makes fellow Belgian boss

 
Giuseppe Muro11 March 2014

Charlton have turned to former Standard Liege manager Jose Riga after new owner Roland Duchatelet ruthlessly sacked Chris Powell as boss today.

Powell was offered a new contract last week but Duchatelet has had a change of heart and is bringing in Riga to take over until the end of the season.

Duchatelet’s relationship with Powell, whose deal was due to expire this summer, has become strained and the Belgian businessman said today’s decision was “unavoidable” with Charlton bottom of the Championship and four points from safety.

Charlton’s run to the FA Cup quarter-finals had kept Powell in the job but after being knocked out by Sheffield United on Sunday, Duchatelet has decided to bring in Riga and the appointment was due to be confirmed this afternoon.

Riga, a 56-year-old Belgian who is technical director of AC Milan’s Academy, flew to London for talks yesterday and arrived at the club’s training ground today. He will be in charge for tomorrow’s game against Huddersfield.

The two men have close ties with Duchatelet appointing Riga as his first manager at Standard Liege, just days after his takeover in 2011.

Duchatelet said: “We have been working with Chris to try and agree a contract extension. There was good progress, but we could not reach an agreement over the club’s football strategy going forward. The situation put a strain on the working relationship between Chris and the board. Therefore I think it is best for all parties that we part ways.

“Given the club’s position in the League and the number of important fixtures upcoming, I felt this difficult decision was unavoidable. I can assure supporters this was not an easy decision but it has been made with the club’s future in mind. Time will tell if it is the right decision.”

Powell had been at Charlton since January 2011 and was the eighth longest-serving manager in England. Many fans feared Powell’s sacking was inevitable after Duchatelet took over in January.

There were signs of a strained relationship between Duchatelet and Powell when Charlton sold two of their best players, Yann Kermorgant and Dale Stephens, in January and brought in a number of foreign players.

Duchatelet is keen to have control of football matters and the number of new arrivals has disrupted the dressing room.

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