Ricardo appointed as Bordeaux general manager

BORDEAUX, France (AP) — Former Bordeaux coach Ricardo is returning to the French league club, this time as general manager.

Bordeaux announced the former Brazil central defender's arrival in a statement Wednesday and confirmed Eric Bedouet as coach.

Bedouet was interim coach since Gus Poyet was suspended last month following a dispute over transfers. He will now work alongside Ricardo, who was in charge of Bordeaux from 2005-07.

Before hiring Ricardo, Bordeaux tried to recruit Thierry Henry as coach, but discussions between the former France international and club officials did not turn out well.

Bordeaux has won only one of the four league games it played this season and is second-to-last in the standings. An American consortium, General American Capital Partners, is expected to take over the six-time champions by the end of September from current owner M6, a TV channel.