• Championship

Charlton replace Powell with Riga

Chris Powell took charge of Charlton in 2011 © Getty Images

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Charlton have sacked manager Chris Powell and replaced him with former Standard Liege manager Jose Riga.

Powell, who enjoyed three spells at the club as a player, was appointed in January 2011 on a three-and-a-half year deal and gained promotion to the Championship from League One in his second season in charge.

However, Charlton were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals by League One Sheffield United on Sunday and they are currently bottom of the Championship, four points from safety.

Owner Roland Duchatelet said in a statement: "We have been working with Chris Powell and his representatives for a couple of weeks to try and agree a contract extension which would have seen us continue to work together.

"There was good progress, but we could not reach an agreement over the club's football strategy going forward. The situation put a strain on the working relationship between Chris and the board. Therefore I think it is best for all parties that we part ways at this stage.

"I would like to thank Chris for his commitment and hard work over the past three years. The club enjoyed a number of good times under his leadership. However, given the club's position in the league and the number of important fixtures upcoming, I felt this difficult decision was unavoidable at this time.

"We will look to quickly appoint a replacement who we feel will give us the best chance of avoiding relegation from the Championship. I can assure supporters this was not an easy decision, but it has been made with the club's future in mind. Time will tell if it is the right decision

Karel Fraeye will act as assistant to Riga.

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