Former West Ham United striker Carlton Cole has been sacked by Indonesian side Persib Bandung for poor performance, the club's manager said on Wednesday.
Cole joined 2014 Indonesian league champions Persib in March with much fanfare, following the club's signing of former Chelsea teammate Michael Essien days earlier.
So far he has only played five matches, often appearing as a substitute, and has not scored a goal since he joined Persib.
"We have decided to let him go because he has failed to perform as expected," manager Umuh Muchtar told DPA.
"Maybe he was injured before joining but he wasn't honest about it," he said.
Persib is 14th in the Indonesian Liga 1 table, with 21 points from 17 matches.
Muchtar said the club was close to signing a Brazilian striker playing in the Portuguese second division, but he declined to reveal his name.
Cole lashed out at Muchtar in an Instagram post on Tuesday, accusing the manager of treating him unfairly, while insisting he was still a Persib player.
"He has not once supported me since I arrived at the club," Cole wrote.
"I have a 1-year contract here and I have enjoyed it so far even though I have had to turn a blind eye to these direct attacks from this man in the media," he said.
Persib, based in the city of Bandung, boasts a large and loyal fan base. Their league matches are regularly attended by tens of thousands of supporters.
It is one of the richest clubs in the country.
