Santander, coach Cuper part ways after 13 games

Racing Santander says coach Hector Cuper has agreed to leave the last-place club after only 13 games.

The 56-year-old Argentine's contract had been due to expire at the end of the season but the team is 1-6-6 in the Spanish league.

Cuper said Tuesday he left ''to avoid generating negative news that would affect the players'' and ''to not provoke a situation that distracts from the essential objective'' of beating Villarreal on Saturday.

Santander says Juan Jose Gonzalez, Fede Castanos and Pablo Pinillos will lead the team until a replacement is hired.

Cuper, who previously led Valencia to back-to-back Champions League finals, is the second coach in La Liga to be let go this season after Mallorca's Michael Laudrup.