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Southampton have confirmed that Nicola Cortese has resigned as executive chairman, casting the future of manager Mauricio Pochettino into serious doubt.
The Argentinian, who previously had said he would quit the club if Cortese departed, left St Mary's on Wednesday without commenting on his own future.
Owner Katharina Liebherr has taken on the role of non-executive Chairman while the club searches for a new Chief Executive Officer.
"With great regret we have accepted the resignation of Mr Cortese," Liebherr told the club website.
"He (Cortese) has done a wonderful job and we very much wanted him to stay. A search has now begun for a successor.
"It is business as usual and we will ensure that the manager, team and staff at the club have all the help and support they need."
Relations are understood to have broken down irrevocably between Cortese and Liebherr, who took over as owner after the death of her father Markus in 2010.
Cortese became executive chairman in 2009 having been instrumental in Liebherr's acquisition of the club earlier that year, and has since overseen the club's rise from League One to the Premier League.
http://news.sky.com/story/1195773/cortese-leaves-southampton-in-chaos
The Argentinian, who previously had said he would quit the club if Cortese departed, left St Mary's on Wednesday without commenting on his own future.
Owner Katharina Liebherr has taken on the role of non-executive Chairman while the club searches for a new Chief Executive Officer.
"With great regret we have accepted the resignation of Mr Cortese," Liebherr told the club website.
"He (Cortese) has done a wonderful job and we very much wanted him to stay. A search has now begun for a successor.
"It is business as usual and we will ensure that the manager, team and staff at the club have all the help and support they need."
Relations are understood to have broken down irrevocably between Cortese and Liebherr, who took over as owner after the death of her father Markus in 2010.
Cortese became executive chairman in 2009 having been instrumental in Liebherr's acquisition of the club earlier that year, and has since overseen the club's rise from League One to the Premier League.
http://news.sky.com/story/1195773/cortese-leaves-southampton-in-chaos
