Fernández fired by struggling Betis

Emergency meeting
After holding an emergency meeting the club's board of directors decided that Saturday night's 5-0 defeat by CA Osasuna had sealed the Frenchman's fate. With 37 points Betis, who equalled a club-record run of 12 winless matches, are currently 16th in the table, one point above the relegation zone and without a Primera División victory since 4 March.

'Very down'
Fernández took over from Javier Irureta on 27 December last year and will himself be replaced for the final match of the seeason against Real Racing Club de Santander by reserve-team coach Paco Chaparro. Betis president Pepe León said: "We have taken this decision because the team was very down. Saturday was an upheaval and we thought this decision was necessary for us to stay in the Primera División."

Deportivo sunk
In Sunday's league matches, RC Recreativo de Huelva stormed to a 5-2 win against RC Deportivo La Coruña. Goals by Cheli (16) Javi Guerrero (18) and Florent Sinama-Pongolle (75) were supplemented by a double strike from Santiago Cazorla (58, 70) to take Marclino García's side up to eighth place. Elsewhere, Getafe CF slumped to a surprise 1-0 defeat against bottom side CG Tarragona. Manu Del Moral missed the chance to equalise Irurzún's 79th-minute goal from the penalty spot three minutes from time, gifting relegated Tarragona only their seventh win of the campaign.