By IANS
Valencia (Spain) : Spanish football giants Valencia Monday sacked coach Quique Sanchez Flores, even as the team was struggling in the fourth place in the Primera Liga, four points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Sanchez’s sacking comes in the light of Valencia’s 0-3 defeat to Sevilla in a Primera Liga match here Sunday. They were also shocked 0-2 by Rosenborg, in a Champions League match a few days back.
Reserve team coach Oscar Fernandez has been named as Sanchez’s successor.
Valencia are now in third place in Group B of the Champions League qualifying competition, four points adrift of leaders Chelsea, which defeated them 2-1 at Mestella this month.
Sanchez, who represented Spain 15 times, was also a member of the 1990 World Cup squad. He spent 10 summers with Valencia as a player before moving to Real Madrid in 1994. He helped Real lift the Spanish title prior to joining Zaragoza.
His coaching career started with Real Madrid’s youth team and then took charge of newly promoted Getafe, guiding them to 13th place. Valencia brought him in to replace Claudio Ranieri in 2005 and he helped them to third place in the Spanish league.
This performance qualified them for the 2006-07 Champions League and they were Spain’s most successful team by reaching the quarterfinals.