Crystal Palace sack Patrick Vieira after 12-game winless run

Patrick Vieira, former France international, has been sacked by Crystal Palace after failing to win any match in 2023. 

The club announced the decision to part ways with its coach in a statement released on Friday.

Palace have been winless in the last 12 games in all competitions.

The team’s last win in a competitive game was a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth in December 2022.

They are 12th in the English Premier League (EPL) and only three points above the relegation zone.

Speaking on the dismissal, Steve Parish, the club chairman, praised Vieira for his contribution to the club during his tenure, adding that the recent run of results necessitated a change.

“It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status,” the chairman said.

“That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues. He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival.”

Vieira was appointed as Palace manager before the start of the 2021-22 season after spells at the helms of affairs in New York City FC and Nice.