Struggling Hamburg sack coach Van Marwijk

"We felt obliged to take this decision now although at the same time we regret it," Hamburg sporting director Oliver Kreuzer said on Hamburg's website (www.hsv.de).

"We thank Bert van Marwijk for his work," he added.

Former Netherlands coach Van Marwijk, 61, took over from Thorsten Fink in September with a deal until 2015.

He led the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final where they lost to Spain.

(Reporting by Iain Rogers and Erik Kirschbaum)