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MADRID, Dec 3 - Struggling Real Betis sacked coach
Hector Cuper after Sunday's 2-0 home defeat to Atletico Madrid
in the Primera Liga.
The result left Betis second-bottom in the standings with
two wins from 14 matches.
"Cuper has proven himself to be a gentleman throughout his
time at the head of the team. It is the results that have been
the reason for his departure," Betis said in a statement on
their Web site (www.realbetisbalompie.es).
The 52-year-old Argentine, who has also coached Valencia and
Inter Milan among others, had been in the post since July.
He is the third top-flight coach to lose his job this season
after Abel Resino of Levante and Quique Sanchez Flores of
Valencia.
Youth team coach Francisco Chaparro will step up to take
charge of the side again. Chaparro steered them to safety with a
win on the final day of last season after Javier Irureta quit
mid-season, and former French international Luis Fernandez left
following a humiliating 5-0 home defeat in their penultimate
game.
Cuper quit as coach of Mallorca in February last year,
bringing to end his second spell with the islanders.
He was first in charge of Mallorca from 1997 to 1999, taking
them to the finals of the King's Cup and European Cup Winners'
Cup as well as a club record third-place finish in the league.
He moved to Valencia in 1999 and took a side with little
pedigree in Europe to successive Champions League finals in 2000
and 2001.
The Argentine replaced Marco Tardelli at Inter in 2001 and
almost won the Serie A title the following season, falling at
the final hurdle by losing the last match to Lazio.
Inter finished second again in 2003 but Cuper was sacked in
October that year after his side went four successive Serie A
matches without a win.
(Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Justin Palmer)