Vieira was informed of the decision after a board meeting in the wake of the club's Europa League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, their fifth straight defeat.

The loss left Nice third in Group C with three points and without any hope of reaching the knockout stage.

In a statement, Nice paid tribute to Vieira for putting "all his heart and professionalism at the service of OGC Nice during the 30 months that this shared adventure has lasted."

The 44-year-old former Arsenal and France star took over at Nice, now owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, in 2018 and guided them to fifth place in the French top flight last season.

But after a series of disappointing performances this season, fans vented their anger prior to the Leverkusen game by temporarily blockading the team bus prior to kick-off.

Nice sit in 11th place in Ligue 1 after losing 3-1 at home to bottom club Dijon last weekend, the visitors' first win of the season.

Vieira, who won the World Cup in 1998, will be replaced by Adrian Ursea.

Australian Associated Press