OGC Nice appoint Franck Haise
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Following the departure of manager Francesco Farioli last month, the Italian having departed to join Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam, OGC Nice have moved to replace him with a face that will be familiar to followers of Ligue 1, Racing Club de Lens' Franck Haise.
A midfielder as a player, Haise had a decade-long career in France's lower leagues, turning out for the likes of Laval and Angers before working with Lens' reserves. Following the dismissal of Philippe Montanier in 2020, he was appointed first team coach, and saw Le Sang et Or to promotion following the conclusion of that season. The move to Ligue 1 hardly saw his side miss a beat -- Lens were in the mix for the European places in his first two seasons in the top flight before eventually finishing second in 2022/23, narrowly missing out on the title and earning a place in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade and winning the Ligue 1 Coach of the Year.
Ahead of next season, Haise has expressed that the level of the club's ambitions were the deciding factor in making the move to the Riviera, saying, “I’m very proud to be joining OGC Nice, a historic club that I’ve often come up against. The project convinced me, as did the discussions that I had with Le Gym’s board. We quickly reached an agreement because we wanted to get down to work as soon as possible."
OGC Nice have also made another move in appointing Florian Maurice as the club's sporting director, replacing Florent Ghisolfi. Born in Lyon, he had an extensive career with Olympique Lyonnais, and also starred for his country and Olympique de Marseille. Following an early retirement at the age of 31, Maurice became a scout for Lyon, becoming a key element in continuing that team's record of developing and identifying young talent, with players like Nabil Fekir, Samuel Umtiti and Alexandre Lacazette coming through on his watch.
In 2020, he moved to Stade Rennais, where he spent four seasons as sporting director, helping the Breton side to reach the Champions League with the club's best-ever finish and also overseeing the development of youngsters like Eduardo Camavinga and Jérémy Doku. Now Maurice joins OGC Nice, who will play in the UEFA Europa League next season after managing a fifth-place finish in Ligue 1.
Speaking to the club's website, Maurice underscored the need to keep Les Aiglons' project on an upward trajectory, saying, "This is an ambitious club with lofty aims. The team has just finished fifth, and we’ll be playing in the Europa League next season. So, it’s our job to work with determination and humility to help OGC Nice to keep improving.”
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