Struggling Nuremberg sack coach Meyer

BERLIN, Germany -- Bundesliga club Nuremberg have sacked manager Hans Meyer, barely nine months after he coached them to a German Cup triumph.

Thomas Von Heesen was presented as Meyer's replacement on Tuesday afternoon, one year after he was sacked by Bielefeld.

Nuremberg have given him a contract until 2009, which is also valid for the second division if they are relegated.

Meyer, who has spent just over two years with the club, departs with the side in the bottom three in the table.

In his career as a midfielder, von Heesen won the Bundesliga twice with Hamburg and the German Cup once, but his biggest success was in the 1983 European Cup final, when Hamburg beat Juventus.

In the summer of 1994, he switched to Arminia Bielefeld, where he played until 1997 and later moved into management.

The 65-year-old, who came out of retirement in November 2005 to take over Nuremberg, was informed of the club's decision late on Monday night.

Meyer, whose co-trainer Juergen Raab, was also dismissed with immediate effect, becomes the third Bundesliga coach to be sacked this season.

Meyer's fate was settled by a decision taken 'unanimously by the club president and the club's advisory board," said Nuremberg's director of sport Martin Bader.

Nuremberg could only draw 1-1 with fellow strugglers Hansa Rostock at the weekend when victory would have taken them out of the relegation zone.They have won only two league wins in their last seven outings.

The other Bundesliga coaches to be axed this season were Petrik Sander at Energie Cottbus and Ernst Middendrop at Arminia Bielefeld.

Nuremberg meet Benfica in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, then have a league clash with second-placed Werder Bremen.

AEK Athens have parted company with their Spanish coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.

The 54-year-old's two-year deal was scheduled to expire at the end of the season, but he went early after a second straight domestic loss saw the team slip from first to third in the Greek SuperLeague.

Assistant Nikos Kostenoglou will take charge for Wednesday's UEFA Cup last 32, first round tie at home against Spanish club Getafe.

Ferrer, who has also coached Spanish sides Real Mallorca, Real Betis and Barcelona, led AEK to second in the league last season. E-mail to a friend