La Liga: Real Betis sack coach Pepe Mel after woeful performances

Real Betis have sacked coach Pepe Mel after more than a month without a win left the Seville-based club hovering just above the La Liga relegation places.

"The board of Real Betis has decided tonight to sack (Pepe Mel) as coach of the club's first team," Betis said in a statement on their website (www.realbetisbalompie.es) on Sunday.

They did not immediately name a successor but said president Juan Carlos Ollero and sporting director Eduardo Macia would hold a news conference later on Sunday.

Mel, who has also coached teams including Getafe, Rayo Vallecano and Premier League club West Bromwich Albion, was appointed Betis coach for a second time in December 2014 and led them to immediate promotion by winning the second division.

They last won in La Liga at the end of November and Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Getafe, their eighth outing without a victory in all competitions, left them in 15th, five points above the drop zone.

Their next game is Tuesday's King's Cup last 16, second leg at city rivals Sevilla, when they need to overturn a 2-0 deficit from last week's first leg if they are to reach the quarter-finals.