Chinese Super League (CSL) side Hangzhou Greentown announced Wednesday that French manager Philippe Troussier has left his job in the club.
"We decided to terminate the contract with Philippe Troussier after a friendly negotiation. Mr. Troussier won't be our manager and Yang Ji will take the position. We thank Troussier very much for his work here and expect fans to support us as they used to," Greentown said in the statement.
"White Wizard", who brought Japan to the knockout stage at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, coached Chinese Super League club Shenzhen Ruby FC from 2011 to 2013, who were demoted in 2011, becoming the first CSL champion team to be relegated.
The Frenchman failed to pull Greentown out of relegation zone in the season. Hangzhou have taken four victories during 16 rounds, ranked third from the bottom at the CSL table.
A growing list of managers who have resigned or been sacked this season included Zhu Jiong of Guizhou Renhe, Gao Jinggang of Changchun Yatai, Shanghai Shenxin's Guo Guangqi, Fabio Cannavaro of Guangzhou Evergrande and Gao Hongbo of Jiangsu Sainty.
