Gent fires coach on eve of Champions League tie

Laszlo Boloni, a former Romanian international, is the second coaching casualty in two months at the club, which was runner-up last season.

Club chairman Ivan De Witte said Laszlo Boloni had been “miscast” in the role after losing two of three matches in charge. (Representative Image)

Belgian club AA Gent fired coach Laszlo Boloni on Monday after just 25 days in the job and on the eve of its Champions League qualifying tie against Rapid Vienna of Austria.

Club chairman Ivan De Witte said Boloni had been “miscast” in the role after losing two of three matches in charge.

“I misjudged, maybe we took too hasty a decision,” De Witte told a news conference. “We have to accept that responsibility. To be honest, in my time as chairman, I've never felt as much opposition to a coach from both the fans and players. It was a poor choice. Full stop.”

Boloni, a former Romanian international, is the second coaching casualty in two months at the club, which was runner-up last season but is sitting third from bottom in the Belgian league with three points from five games.

It sacked Danish-born coach Jens Thorup after losing its opening pair of matches of the new season and hired Boloni, who has previously worked in Belgium and at clubs such as Sporting Lisbon, Monaco and PAOK Salonika.

Assistant coach Wim De Decker will take charge for Tuesday's Champions League third qualifying round match at home.

The winner will meet either AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands or Ukraine's Dynamo Kyiv over two legs later this month for a place in the group stages of the continental competition