Just over a month after being hired and without an official match played under his direction, Matio Beretta has been sacked as PAOK coach.

The Italian had been appointed on a two-year contract on 14 June to replace Fernando Santos, who has taken over the Greece national team reins.

But club officials were not pleased with PAOK's pre-season results under his leadership, nor with the negative relationship he had with certain players.

Media reports suggested that Beretta would be replaced by Pavlos Dermitzakis.

PAOK are scheduled to play their first-leg match in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers against Ajax in Amsterdam next week.

For Beretta, 50, it was his first appointment outside Italy after coaching at Torino, Lecce, Siena, Parma and Chievo, as well as a number of lower-league clubs.