Bayern Munich fired Juergen Klinsmann as coach on Monday, ending his two-year contract at the defending German champions after less than a season.

Klinsmann, who coached Germany to third place at the 2006 World Cup, was told by club officials that he was dismissed with immediate effect, Bayern said in a statement posted on its Web site.

"This was a very difficult decision for us," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "But the results of the past few weeks, the way in which they came about and, above all, the situation five games before the end of the season, forced us to act out of responsibility to the club."

Barcelona won 5-1 on aggregate, leaving the Bundesliga title as the team's only chance of silverware this season.

"Of course, I am very disappointed at the moment," Klinsmann said, thanking the club, its fans and employees for "an eventful time".

"We have laid the foundation for the future," he added. "I still believe that this team can become German champion this season."

Klinsmann did not comment on his future plans. He had left his California residence to return to Germany for the Bayern job.

Klinsmann's dismissal came after he vowed on Sunday to stay on at Bayern, saying he didn't think he needed to worry about his position and pointing to "good chemistry inside the team".

When Klinsmann was appointed last year, he said: "We want to make every player better and so make the team better." However, he had a tough act to follow after his predecessor, Ottmar Hitzfeld, led Bayern to the domestic league and cup double last season.

In any event, Bayern rarely played well this season, especially after the winter break.

With five rounds to go, Bayern has 16 wins, six draws and seven defeats in the Bundesliga. It is three points behind leader Wolfsburg, which has been thriving under Felix Magath, a former Bayern coach.

The 63-year-old Heynckes coached Bayern from 1987-91, winning the 1989 and 1990 Bundesliga titles. He has since coached Schalke, Real Madrid and Borussia Moenchengladbach, and won the 1998 Champions League title with Real Madrid.

Klinsmann's assistants, Martin Vasquez and Nick Theslof, have also left Bayern.

(Agencies via China Daily April 28, 2009)