Michel had been in his second spell as boss of Morocco

The Atlas Lions beat Namibia 5-1 in their opening fixture but lost their final two matches and failed to qualify from their group.

Frenchman Michel, 60, was in his second spell as boss of Morocco after being appointed in August 2007 following the dismissal of M'Hamed Fakhir.

Jamel Fethi is expected to take charge until a new coach is found.

"Henri Michel was sacked for several reasons including the bad performance of the team in the African Nations Cup," said Mohamed Ozal, deputy chairman of the country's Royal Football Federation.

Michel had stated his intention to remain with Morocco after their elimination at the group stage.

"I have a contract until 2010 to get Morocco to the World Cup finals," he said.

Michel was in charge of Tunisia at the 2002 Nations Cup and took Ivory Coast to the final in 2006.

He was also in charge of Morocco at the 1998 and 2000 tournaments during his previous spell.

The 60-year-old has also managed four different teams at four different World Cups, with France in 1986, Cameroon in 1994, Morocco in 1998 and Ivory Coast at Germany 2006.