APOEL fires coach Kare Ingebrigtsen after 45 days on job

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriot champion APOEL Nicosia fired coach Kare Ingebrigtsen on Tuesday after only 45 days on the job.

The 54-year-old Norwegian had four wins, two draws and four losses during his time at the club, which is struggling in its quest to retain the league title for the eighth straight year.

APOEL thanked Ingebrigsten for his “best efforts” during his brief tenure. His final match was a 1-0 loss to AEK Larnaca over the weekend, which Ingebritsen called the team’s worst performance under his leadership.

APOEL is currently third in the standings, three points behind Omonia Nicosia and five points behind league leader Anorthosis Famagusta.

Marinos Ouzounidis is reportedly slated to take over at APOEL. The Greek coach played with APOEL for three seasons from 2001-03 and coached it for another three from 2006-09.

With Ingebrigtsen’s departure, APOEL has gone through 11 coaches in the last seven years.