Berlin - Swiss coach Lucien Favre was sacked by Hertha Berlin Monday after attending crisis talks at the Bundesliga basement club. The dismissal comes a day after a 5-1 defeat at Hoffenheim - the club's sixth league defeat in a row - left Hertha languishing at the bottom of the table with three points from seven games.
Favre had been in his post for 27 months and his contract was due to run until the end of the 2011 season, but the 51-year-old had presided over Hertha's worst start to the season since 1990/91 when the team was relegated.
"It wasn't an easy decision. I had to make a decision in the interests of Hertha and that is what I have done," said club sporting director Michael Preetz.
Assistant coach Harald Gaemperle, who blamed the players for Hertha's plight, was also sacked with U-23 coach Karsten Heine named as caretaker coach.
Heine will take charge for Hertha's Europa League clash at Sporting Lisbon on Thursday but Preetz refused to confirm whether he would still be at the helm for Sunday's game against Bundesliga leaders SV Hamburg.
Favre is the fourth Bundesliga coach to lose his job so far this season following Marcel Koller (VfL Bochum), Joern Andersen (Mainz 05) and Dieter Hecking (Hanover 96).
