Bianchi fired (13 Jan 2006 04:54 GMT)
Atletico Madrid fired Argentine coach Carlos Bianchi on Thursday after a seven-month spell in which he failed to galvanize the team.
Atletico's decision followed an emergency board meeting and came a day after the team's 1-0 Copa del Rey loss to Zaragoza. Bianchi was jeered by supporters at the match.
The loss came on top of the team's nine-game winless run in the league. Atletico is in 12th place in the 20-team first division standings with 20 points, four points above the relegation zone. Atletico said reserve team coach Pepe Murcia would take temporary charge.
The 56-year-old Bianchi was appointed last June on a two-year contract to become the 10th Argentine coach in Atletico's history.
Voted the world's best club coach in 2000 and 2003 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, Bianchi won four domestic championships, three Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups during two spells in charge of Boca Juniors.
He also led another Argentine team, Velez Sarsfield, to the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup titles in 1994. Atletico, which is regarded as Spain's third-most important club after Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, most recently won a title in 1996, when it claimed the league and cup double.
source : FOXSports