Schuster´s exit mulled after Real humiliated

Real Madrid’s German coach Bernd Schuster could lose his job over the club’s humiliating exit from the Spanish Cup by a third division side, Spain’s sports newspapers said Wednesday.

The reigning Spanish champions struggled to beat Real Union 4-3 at home on Tuesday, with iconic striker Raul scoring a hat-trick, in the second leg of the last 32 of the Cup.

But it wasn’t enough to keep them in the competition as the side from the northern town of Irun won 3-2 at home in the first leg last month, and went through on the away goals rule.

After the match, Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon met with board members to discuss Schuster’s future, the AS sports newspaper said.

“The main conclusion of this spontaneous meeting was that the club has totally lost confidence in the German coach,” it said.

A defeat in the league on Saturday against Valladolid “would force us to take drastic measures, because we cannot continue like this”, a club official who declined to be named told the paper.

It said Real could replace Schuster with either of two senior members of the club, Miguel Angel Portugal or former player Jose Miguel Gonzalez Martin del Campo, better known as “Michel”.

The Marca newspaper also reported the rumours of Schuster’s possible exit, and mentioned Tottenham’s sacked coach Juande Ramos as a candidate to replace him.

“I am not worried but I understand that other people might well be and have doubts about my work,” Schuster, who joined Real in July 2007, said after the match. “That would be logical seeing what has happened.”

He added he had “no idea” why the club has let in so many goals — 32 since the start of the season and eight in their last three matches.

Real are currently in fourth place in the Primera Liga, two points behind league leaders Barcelona.

In the Champions League, the club has suffered two defeats against Juventus, and must beat Zenit St Petersburg next month to be sure of qualifying for the last eight.

Meantime, the club’s injury list is starting to look like the first-team lineup, with Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, midfielders Arjen Robben, Mali’s Mahamadou Diarra and Spaniard Ruben de la Red and Portuguese defender Pepe all out of action.

They were joined on Tuesday night by two other pillars of the defence – Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro and Germany’s Christoph Metzelder.

Real look set to be joined on the Cup sidelines on Wednesday by last season’s league runners-up Villarreal, who require a miracle after they lost the first leg 5-0 to minnows Polideportivo Ejido.