Hamburger SV confirm sacking of Josef Zinnbauer

Hamburger SV have confirmed the sacking of Josef Zinnbauer following a disappointing six-month spell as head coach at the Imtech Arena.

A 1-0 loss to Hertha Berlin on Friday evening saw Hamburg move into the relegation zone over the weekend, and the club's hierarchy took action on Sunday after a run of six matches without a victory.

"Joe Zinnbauer carried out his duties here with great passion and maximum engagement from the very first day," director of sport Dietmar Beiersdorfer said in a statement.

"He gave everything for HSV. We've thanked him for this. After the recent results and in view of the overall sporting situation, though, we felt we had to make a change."

Director of football Peter Knaebel will take charge of the team until the end of the season.