Mainz parts ways with coach Sandro Schwarz after 8th defeat

Struggling Mainz parted ways with coach Sandro Schwarz on Sunday after his team's latest Bundesliga loss.

The club said Schwarz left "by mutual consent" after intensive talks on Saturday evening and Sunday morning with sporting director Rouven Schröder, and that assistant coach Jan-Moritz Lichte was to take care of training until a new coach is found.

The 41-year-old Schwarz, a friend of Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp, had been in charge since his promotion from Mainz's second team in May 2017. The club stuck with him through its fight for Bundesliga survival in his first full season, before he led it to 12th in his next.

But Saturday's 3-2 loss at home to Union Berlin followed an 8-0 thrashing at Leipzig. Mainz is in the Bundesliga's relegation zone with eight defeats from 11 games this season.

"The decision to part ways is very difficult for us. Sandro is a Mainzer through and through," Schröder said. "He always worked with great meticulousness, expertise and emotion for his club and team."

Schwarz is the third Bundesliga coach to lose his job this season. Cologne fired Achim Beierlorzer on Saturday while Bayern Munich let Niko Kovac go the previous Sunday.