SCHALKE 04 sacked Felix Magath as coach yesterday, just a week after he took the club into the Champions League quarter-finals for only the second time.

Magath, who also secured a place in the German Cup final with a win over holders Bayern Munich this month, had a contract until 2013, with the club deciding to bring it to a premature end for reasons they would not disclose. Magath joined in 2009 with the stated goal of winning Schalke’s first German league title since 1958 within the four years of his original contract.