Walking papers
March 9, 2011
Coach Felix Magath will leave German Bundesliga soccer club Schalke 04 at the end of the season at the latest, according to a German regional daily newspaper.
Early Wednesday, the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the Schalke board had decided Magath would be out of a job regardless of the outcome of their next Champions League match, which will decide whether the team advances to the quarterfinals.
The club did not immediately confirm the news, and Magath has said he was unaware of any such decision.
"No one has spoken to me. I don't know anything and I assume I will be fulfilling my contract until 2013," he told German football website kicker online on Wednesday.
Struggling Schalke
The 57-year-old, who in addition to coach is also club manager and an executive in the organization, is in his second season with the team. Previously, he was head coach at VfL Wolfsburg, leading them to the German title in 2009.
He had pledged to win Schalke's first league title since 1958, but after finishing runners-up last season the team has continued to struggle. They currently sit in 10th place, just five points out of the relegation playoff slot.
They have, however, advanced to the German Cup final after eliminating reigning champions Bayern Munich in last week's semifinal.
If confirmed, Magath would be the third Bundesliga coach to lose his job in as many days.
On Monday, Bayern Munich announced they had agreed with coach Louis van Gaal that his contract would be canceled at the end of the season.
And on Tuesday, Hamburg said coach Armin Veh would also leave at the end of the season.
Author: Martin Kuebler (AFP, dpa, Reuters, SID)
Editor: Michael Lawton