Kaiserslautern blame it on Brehme

Andreas Brehme has been sacked as coach of 1. FC Kaiserslautern following a poor start to the season, which has brought the 1. Bundesliga club just one point from their first three games.

Emig in temporary charge
The Kaiserslautern board decided to dismiss the former German international after an emergency meeting last night. The club's assistant coach, Karlheinz Emig, will take charge of the first team until a successor is named, although former Hertha BSC Berlin coach Jürgen Röber is already being touted to replace Brehme.

Friedrich resigns
Brehme is not the only casualty, with club chairman Jürgen Friedrich reacting to the coach's dismissal by leaving his post with immediate effect. Friedrich had always insisted Brehme would not be sacked as long as he was in charge. Gerhard Herzog and Erwin Göbel will take over Friedrich's duties until a replacement is named.

Dortmund defeat
Brehme's final game in charge was Saturday's 3-0 defeat by VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach. Scorer of Germany's winning goal in the 1990 FIFA World Cup final, the 41-year-old took over at Kaiserslautern from Otto Rehhagel in October 2000 and in his first season at the club took them to the UEFA Cup semi-finals. However, the Red Devils missed out on European qualification in both 2001 and last season.