Stuttgart fired coach Armin Veh after the Bundesliga team's 1-4 loss at Wolfsburg, and former Germany international Markus Babbel was hired yesterday to replace him.

Stuttgart, the 2007 champion, is winless in its last five games and has dropped to 11th place in the standings.

Babbel, who ended his playing career in Stuttgart, will succeed Veh, club president Erwin Staudt said. He will be assisted by the coach of Stuttgart's reserves, Rainer Widmayer. Veh's assistant Alfons Higl was also dismissed.

"We had talks with Veh last night (after the loss in Wolfsburg) and we came to the conclusion that we need a change," Staudt said. "It was a difficult decision and we are very thankful for all they've done in the last three years. I also spoke to the players this morning I and told them that each one of them now has to give his maximum. The separation from the coach should not provide an excuse for the players," Staudt said.

Veh took over Stuttgart in February 2006 from Giovanni Trapattoni and surprised the league by leading a young team to the 2007 Bundesliga title and the German Cup final. But Stuttgart has had a difficult start this season and Veh said last week the management, himself included, had brought wrong players to the club in the offseason.

The 47-year-old Veh became the second Bundesliga coach to lose his job this season after Jos Luhukay from Borussia Moenchengladbach.

On Saturday, Vedad Ibisevic scored twice to take his season tally to 16 goals as 10-man Hoffenheim won 3-1 at 10-man FC Cologne to reclaim the Bundesliga lead.

Ibisevic scored twice in the final 23 minutes to give Hoffenheim a seventh victory in its last eight games, taking the league lead with 31 points to move three ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily November 24, 2008)