Soccer: West Ham sack manager Zola

LONDON - West Ham fired manager Gianfranco Zola today after a season in which the club barely avoided relegation from the Premier League.

The 43-year-old Italian responded by criticising "adverse comments" from the club's owners, and said he had referred his dismissal to the League Managers' Association.

"I am extremely disappointed to be leaving West Ham United," Zola said in a statement released by the LMA. "Over recent weeks, I have been the subject of various adverse comments, from within the club, which have been widely reported in the media."

With the team losing games and in relegation trouble, co-owner David Sullivan put more pressure on Zola by publicly apologising to West Ham fans for what he called "shambolic" and "pathetic" performances.

Although Zola was popular with the West Ham fans, the former Chelsea star - who took over at Upton Park in September 2008 - was unable to bring any success to the club in his second season.

He signed a new four-year contract in April 2009 that was supposed to keep him at the club until 2013, but was instead fired two days after the end of the season.

Zola claimed to be unaware that the co-owners were planning to put the entire first-team squad up for transfer, or that the club had put in a bid for West Bromwich Albion midfielder Graham Dorrans.

Last season, Zola took West Ham to a ninth-place finish after struggling in 17th place in late December. This season, the Hammers wound up one place above the relegation zone and were in trouble until the final stages of the season.

West Ham finished the season with a creditable 1-1 draw with fifth place Manchester City and ended five points clear of 18th-place Hull.

"West Ham confirm that they have terminated the contract of Gianfranco Zola," the club said in a statement. "The board of directors would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well for the future. The club will now be focusing its efforts on seeking a replacement."

There had been strong speculation during the season that Zola would either be fired or would quit after several conflicts with co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold, who bought a 50-per cent interest in the club in January. There were reports that they made an offer to buy a player without Zola's knowledge.

"I would like to sincerely thank the players and my staff for their continued support, hard work and commitment," Zola said. "I extremely proud of their efforts, over a long and difficult season, in retaining West Ham's place in the Barclays Premier League. West Ham is a great club, with fantastic supporters and I wish the club every success in the future.

"The termination process of my contract is now in the hands of the LMA and I, therefore, will be making no further comment at this stage."

With Zola on his way out of Upton Park, there was immediate speculation that Portsmouth manager Avram Grant, whose team finished last in the Premier League but made it to Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea, might be a replacement.

Former West Ham managers Alan Curbishley and Alan Pardew are also contenders, along with Mark Hughes, who has been out of a job since being fired by Manchester City in December.

- AP