Long-serving midfielder Mathieu Coutadeur (37) will leave Ajaccio next summer, the club has announced. The 37-year-old club captain joined the Corsican outfit six years ago. The former Stade Lavallois midfielder went on to play 184 games with the Bears. Last summer, he extended his contract for a further year to help steer Ajaccio away from a Ligue 2 relegation.
Unfortunately, Ajaccio have failed in their mission and will return to the French second-tier league after only one Ligue 1 season. The Olivier Pantaloni-led side have only racked up 23 points this season, loosing 26 league games out of a possible 37.
“On and off pitch, Mathieu, you have been and you will always remain a role model for many generations of Acéistes to come. AC Aiacciu is proud to have counted in its ranks the player and the man of great value that you are,” the 19th-placed Ligue 1 have written in a club statement. Coutadeur played his 185th and final game with the Bears on Saturday night as Ajaccio hosted third-placed Marseille. It was also Igor Tudor’s final appearance in the dugout for Les Phocéens.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
