Lausanne take on Nantes – live on the Internet

After beating mighty Ajax Amsterdam in the second round of the UEFA Cup, Lausanne should be brimming with confidence as they prepare to take on French Cup winners Nantes on Thursday. The Swiss club are, however, riven by doubts.

Lausanne’s poor performances in the domestic league have taken the gloss off their excellent European form, and have raised doubts about the future of their coach, Pierre-André Schürmann.

The western Swiss club go in to their first leg match at Nantes with just two points from their last eight matches, and struggling to stay in the Swiss first division.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Lausanne’s director general, Claude Robin, tried to play down rumours that the side’s disappointing league form had caused a rift between the boardroom and the coach. He said Schürmann would remain in sole charge until at least the end of this season.

Schürmann himself chose not to respond to claims that he had fallen out with club chairman, Waldemar Kita, insisting that his own position was clear. “For my part, I have never had to take any decision in this matter. My contract with Lausanne runs until 2002,” he said.

Turning to Thursday’s match, Schürmann expressed confidence in his players’ ability to continue their European adventure, which has already seen them beat Torpedo Moscow and Ajax in the first two rounds.

The Nantes trainer, Raynald Denoueix, paid tribute to Lausanne’s ability on Wednesday, praising them in particular for their strength in the air.

The match will mark a first for the Internet in France. It will be broadcast live (address below) from 1915 central European Time.

swissinfo with agencies