FC Zürich have parted company with coach Bernard Challandes after a home defeat by bottom-of-the-table FC Aarau left the Swiss champions seventh in the ten-team league.

Youth team coach Urs Fischer will lead Zürich for the remainder of the campaign, with a club statement acknowledging "the players are also responsible for the team's success on the field". Zürich lie 15 points adrift of their neighbours, third-placed Grasshopper-Club, and 27 behind joint-leaders FC Basel 1893 and BSC Young Boys.

Challandes, 58, joined Zürich in 2007 and led the club to the title in 2008/09 and into this season's UEFA Champions League group stage. Before his appointment, Challandes, who is a qualified French teacher, was in charge of the Switzerland Under-21 side having previously coached Yverdon-Sport FC, Young Boys and Servette FC.