Baptiste Malherbe flies to Beijing in bid to save Pelissier at Auxerre | OneFootball

Baptiste Malherbe, AJ Auxerre’s chief executive and president, flew to Beijing on Monday night to try to persuade owner James Zhou to reverse the dismissal of head coach Christophe Pelissier, according to L'Équipe.

Malherbe phoned Pelissier on Friday to say he was no longer coach, a decision by Zhou. No statement has followed and, as sole signatory, Malherbe has not had him sign termination papers with one year left on his deal.

He and Pelissier aim to exploit that legal limbo while Malherbe presses their case. He has sought regional political backing, won support from fans and accepted Zhou’s summons to Beijing, where the owner has been stuck since last summer with a visa issue.

Malherbe travelled with Zhou’s accountant and a translator. Sporting director David Wantier, with whom Pelissier no longer gets on, is due two days later with the owner’s lead interpreter. Malherbe is expected back as Wantier begins a five-day visit, so the pair may not meet.

The crisis comes despite survival secured with a 2-0 win at Lille on 17 May. The club looks split between pro-Pelissier figures such as Malherbe and Guy Roux, and pro-Wantier voices including players and former players Djibril Cissé and Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Whether Malherbe can shift Zhou’s stance remains unclear. Zhou is said to have lined up Will Still as successor, the Belgian-British coach unemployed since his November 2025 sacking by Southampton. If Still has signed and Pelissier were then retained and extended, Auxerre could face another problem.

Source: L'Équipe