RB Leipzig fire coach Rose

Berlin, 30 March - RB Leipzig have fired coach Marco Rose, days out from a German Cup semi-final clash at Stuttgart, the club said in a statement on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp, Head of Soccer at parent company Red Bull, was not named in the statement and has said previously he would not step in as coach, whether on a permanent or interim basis.

Leipzig slipped to sixth in the table after Saturday's 1-0 loss at Borussia Moenchengladbach, their sixth successive away match without a win.

Leipzig-born Rose took over in September 2022 and guided them to a German Cup triumph in his first season in charge.

"We believed in Marco and his team for a very long time and tried everything until the very end to turn things around together," sporting director Marcel Schaefer said in a statement.

"However, given the current situation and the lack of results, we are firmly convinced that we need a new impetus for the remaining games to achieve our goals this season."

Leipzig thanked Rose for his time at the club but the coach was not quoted in the statement.

The two-time German Cup winners travel to Stuttgart to play in the semi-finals of the competition on Wednesday.

Leipzig, owned by Red Bull since 2009, have only missed out on the Champions League once since the 2016/17 campaign in the Bundesliga.

Leipzig said a successor to Rose would be named "shortly".BSS