Stuttgart have sacked coach Markus Babbel after a dismal run of form saw them plummet to 16th in the Bundesliga table.Former Liverpool defender pays price for poor run.Babbel's final match at the helm was Saturday's 1-1 home draw with lowly Bochum, who grabbed an 89th-minute equaliser despite being down to 10 men.
Around 2000 Stuttgart fans protested outside the Mercedes-Benz Arena after the match, where Babbel, director of sport Horst Heldt and club president Erwin Staudt were holding crisis talks.
The former Liverpool defender emerged from the meeting to say that he was not going to be rushed into making a decision on his future, but events have now overtaken him.
A club statement read: "Markus Babbel is no longer the coach of Stuttgart.
"The board has today relieved head coach Markus Babbel and his two assistant coaches Rainer Widmayer and Alexander Zorniger of their duties."
Progress
The removal of Babbel comes just three days before Stuttgart are to contest a crucial Champions League game against Unirea Urziceni, where victory would see the 2007 German champions progress to the knockout stage.
Babbel took over from Armin Veh at the Stuttgart helm on 23rd November last year, just days before a Uefa Cup tie at Sampdoria.
The 37-year-old was given special dispensation to stay on as coach until the end of the season despite not holding recognised coaching badges.
The former Reds and Bayern Munich defender nevertheless led the Swabians from mid-table obscurity to third place come the end of last season, sealing a place in the Champions League in the process.
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