Achim Beierlorzer: Mainz sack manager in disruptive week

Achim Beierlorzer walks alongside his players after Saturday's defeat by StuttgartGetty Images

Mainz were beaten 4-1 by Stuttgart on Saturday

Mainz have sacked manager Achim Beierlorzer just 10 days into the Bundesliga season.

His dismissal comes in a week in which Mainz players refused to train after forward Adam Szalai was suspended and told to find a new club.

Reports say Szalai asked for the team's outstanding salaries - held back during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic - to be paid.

The club denied the reports, saying he had been cut for "sporting reasons".

Mainz then suffered a 4-1 defeat by Stuttgart on Saturday.

Beierlorzer, 52, had been in charge of Mainz since November 2019 and will be replaced in the interim by assistant coach Jan-Moritz Lichte.

"I am disappointed with the club's decision," said Beierlorzer. "Nevertheless, I wish Mainz and the team all the best for the future."

He is the second manager in the Bundesliga to be sacked this season, after David Wagner was dismissed by Schalke on Sunday.