Mexico sacks Sanchez as national soccer team manager

MEXICO CITY, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) on Monday said that it had sacked Hugo Sanchez as manager following his failure to qualify Mexico's national team for the Beijing Olympics.

"The relationship with the training team led by Hugo Sanchez was unanimously terminated," Decio de Maria, the FMF's secretary general, told a press conference.

The FMF's president, Justino Compean, said that Sanchez had failed consistently in three official tournaments in last 14 months.

Mexico took third place in the 2007 Copa America, held in Venezuela.

Mexico followed this up with a loss in the Gold Cup final to the United States, rated 28th in the world by FIFA, and then failed to win a place in the Olympics facing Haiti, Canada and Guatemala, rated between 62nd and 97th in the world.

The FMF appointed Jesus Ramirez, who manages Mexico's junior teams, to take over until April 16, when Mexico faces China in a friendly in the United States. Under Ramirez, Mexico's under-17 team won the 2005 World Cup in Peru.

The FMF's national selection committee will then decide who will train the team for its campaign to qualify for the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

"We cannot tolerate another failure," Compean said, adding that Mexico will now miss out of the Olympics, 2008's main soccer contest.