PSG sack women's team coach Abriel after losing final to Paris FC

Paris Saint-Germain have sacked women's team coach Fabrice Abriel two days after their French Cup final defeat to city rivals Paris FC, sources close to the club said Monday.

Brazilian Paulo Cesar, a former PSG player and ex-coach of PSG's U19 women's team, has stepped in on an interim basis.

Defending Cup champions PSG fell to Paris FC 5-4 on penalties on Saturday after the match ended 0-0 and play the same team next Sunday in the Ligue 1 play-off semi-final.

Former PSG midfielder Abriel took over last summer but paid for poor results, including their second round Champions League exit to Juventus in September, and a strained relationship with some senior team members.

On Saturday, Abriel opted to start the Cup final with two of the team's stars -- French internationals Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sakina Karchaoui -- on the bench with both coming on after the hour.

Karchaoui has been overlooked in previous matches after an interview in which she described her preference for previous coach Jocelyn Precheur.  

"I don't have the same affinity (with Abriel) I had with Jocelyn, to be honest. So I work differently," she told French sports daily L'Equipe.

This season PSG once again failed to match arch-rivals Lyon, who beat them twice in the league, and will finish top of the regular season table by a wide margin. 

Only one match of the regular season campaign remains on Wednesday, before the weekend's play-offs, where PSG can qualify for the final if they beat Paris FC, with the second semi-final taking place between Lyon and Dijon.