Real Betis have sacked Gustavo Poyet after less than four months in charge and replaced him with former Deportivo La Coruna coach Victor Sanchez del Amo, the Spanish top flight club announced on Saturday. Betis took 11 points from 11 games under the Uruguayan and are 14th in La Liga, two points above the relegation zone. "Real Betis have decided to bring Gustavo Poyet's tenure in charge of the first team to an end," said a statement from Betis on Saturday. "The club would like to show its special gratitude for the dedication and effort of the Uruguayan coach and his coaching staff during this time and wish him them the best in the future." A former midfielder for Real Madrid and Deportivo amongst other clubs, Sanchez del Amo worked as an assistant coach at Getafe, Sevilla and Olympiakos Piraeus before taking charge of Deportivo in 2015, helping them avoid relegation. He was sacked at the end of his second season after a poor second half to the campaign as the team finished 15th in the standings. The Spaniard was appointed as Olympiakos coach in June, only to be dismissed in August after being eliminated from the Champions League third qualifying round by Israeli side Hapoel Beer-Sheva. "I come to Real Betis with tremendous hope and all the motivation in the world to excite one of the biggest fan bases in the country," Sanchez del Amo told the club's official website. "The union between the team and Betis supporters is unbreakable, as Betis have proved throughout their history." Sanchez del Amo's appeal to supporters comes after a fans' group released a statement last week demanding Poyet be sacked, claiming they would not return to the club's Benito Villamarin stadium while he remained in charge. A former midfielder for Uruguay, Real Zaragoza, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, Poyet got off to a nightmare start after succeeding Juan Merino last summer, losing his first game 6-2 to champions Barcelona. His fortunes improved as Betis took eight points from their next five games but a downward spiral began with a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad, the start of four defeats in five matches including a 6-1 thrashing at home by Real Madrid. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
