Swiss champion Basel looking for new coach for next season

In this Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016 file photo, Basel's head coach Urs Fischer listens during a news conference ahead of their Champions League group A soccer match against Arsenal at the Emirates stadium in London. Swiss champion Basel is looking for a new coach after announcing it will not retain Urs Fischer despite the team cruising to an eighth straight league title. (Frank Augstein/AP)

BASEL, Switzerland — Swiss champion Basel is looking for a new coach after announcing it will not retain Urs Fischer despite the team cruising to an eighth straight league title.

Fischer says in a statement he knew since January that changes were likely under new club management.

At a shareholders meeting on Friday, a takeover was confirmed that put former Basel and Switzerland forwards Alex Frei and Marco Streller in the new leadership structure.

Fischer was appointed in 2015 and won the league in his first season.

However, his Champions League record fell short of Basel’s recent standards. Basel finished last in December in a group that included Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

Fischer’s replacement will be Basel’s sixth different coach to start a season since 2011.

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