Kaiserslautern, bottom of the Bundesliga and winless for 16 matches, has fired coach Marco Kurz.
Kaiserslautern is six points from safety after its latest loss, a 4-1 home defeat to Schalke on Sunday.
''After the 4-1 loss to Schalke and after long, intense discussions, we've come to the common conclusion that we had to take this step,'' Kaiserslautern chairman Stefan Kuntz said on Tuesday.
Kuntz had given the coach a vote of confidence after the loss to Schalke.
While praising Kurz for his work, Kuntz said the club fired him as a last resort in its struggle to avoid relegation.
Assistant coach Oliver Schaefer and goalkeeper coach Gerry Ehrmann will jointly lead the club until a new head coach is selected.
Kurz took over at Kaiserslautern two seasons ago and gained promotion. In its first season back in the top division, Kaiserslautern finished seventh.
Kurz is the sixth Bundesliga coach to be fired this season. Another, Ralf Rangnick, resigned from Schalke to seek treatment for burnout.
