Schalke sack Magath

Schalke have announced that coach Felix Magath will leave the Bundesliga club with immediate effect.

Magath, 57, had been widely tipped for the exit owing to the team’s disappointing form in the league this season.

A championship-winning coach with Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich, Magath was due to meet with club officials at an extraordinary session of the supervisory board on Wednesday, but chose not to attend.

The club later confirmed that he had been removed from the post, but a replacement is yet to be announced.

“Schalke have very good reasons to part company with Felix Magath,” chairman Clemens Tonnies said.

“We will not communicate these reasons as a legal battle now awaits us. We’re very disappointed about the departure of Felix, but we feel this is the best solution for Schalke.”

Earlier, Magath’s lawyer Ralf Hoecker revealed the reasons behind his client’s refusal to attend the meeting.

“Mr Magath won’t attend Wednesday’s board meeting as he feels participating doesn’t make any sense,” Ralf Hoecker said.

“Mr Magath only received a minimal and incomplete agenda of the meeting on Tuesday. He needs to be well prepared if he is to debate about important subjects.”

Magath, who arrived at the Veltins-Arena in July 2009, guided the team to a second-place finish in his first season in charge, but leaves with the team 10th in the Bundesliga table.

They have reached the final of the DFB Pokal and the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

A Germany international midfielder, Magath spent the majority of his playing career with Hamburg before coaching the club.

He has also taken charge of Nuremburg, Werder Bremen, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.