Leverkusen part ways with Dutt

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have dismissed coach Robin Dutt following Saturday's 2-0 Bundesliga loss to FC Freiburg.

The home defeat was Leverkusen’s fifth consecutive reverse in all competitions and left the club sixth in the standings. "We had to act and make the change to give us new momentum in achieving our target for the season of qualifying for Europe," said Leverkusen's managing director Wolfgang Holzhäuser.

Dutt was appointed to replace Jupp Heynckes last summer after four years at the Freiburg helm and led the Werkself to the UEFA Champions League round of 16, where they were knocked out by FC Barcelona. His assistants Damir Burić and Marco Langner have also been dismissed, with the club appointing former player Sami Hyypiä and the club's Under-19 coach Sascha Lewandowski as stand-ins until the end of the season.

"I know the players and I've got full confidence in them," said Hyypiä, capped 105 times by Finland. "Sascha Lewandowski and I want to turn an unsettled side that has failed to perform to its ability in recent games into a team that can get Bayer 04 Leverkusen back to winning ways."

"We're looking for the Hyypiä-Lewandowski team to get us back on track and give us a boost," added sporting director Rudi Völler. "The first team know what they've got to do. Our ambitions at Bayer 04 are higher and we need to revive our campaign."