Brest move quickly to appoint Martins

Former French international midfielder Corentin Martins has been appointed coach of Stade Brestois 29 following the dismissal of Landry Chauvin two days ago.

Martins, 43, has become caretaker until the end of the season, a role with which he is familiar after taking interim charge of the team last term following Alex Dupont's departure.

"I was not bidding [for the job] initially," said Martins. "We worked on several options [with regard to coaches] – some we discarded, some turned down the post. The directors then turned to me."

Brest split with Chauvin "following a series of bad results", according to a statement from the club. The Brittany side fell into the relegation zone following their 2-1 home defeat by LOSC Lille on Sunday.

"It's a tough decision to make," explained Brest president Michel Guyot, who stressed that "the side have not won at home since 17 November".

As a player with AJ Auxerre, Martins won a French league and cup double and, in 1992/93, reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. He has been an assistant coach at Brest since 2008.