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VETERAN captain Lothar Matthaus has blamed lack of discipline for coach Giovanni Trappatoni's departure from Bayern Munich.

The Italian will take charge at Fiorentina next season but Matthaus insisted: ''He was much too soft with us, a totally different man from the one I worked under at Inter Milan.

''Every coach has the right to ask his players to play in the system he sets out and his decision must be respected. Players do not have the right to attack him publicly if they disagree as happened at this club.''

Trappatoni added: ''I cannot understand any player who is not prepared to sacrifice himself for the team. Every player has a certain role to fulfil but the Germans believe that the best players must always remain on the field until the finish - even if their legs are dead. If you substitute players they regard this as a punishment whereas those in Italy understand this is normal.''

Ottmar Hitzfeld, who led Borussia Dortmund to the European Cup, is his successor. Already Stefan Effenberg has been brought back from Borussia Moenchangladbach and the Iranian Ali Daei, signed from Arminia Bielefeld.

The Egyptian Hany Ramzy, of relegated Werder Bremen, faces a hefty fine for making Nazi gestures at an end-of-season players party.

Some of Europe's biggest names have suffered the same fate as Bremen, among them Napoli, Atalanta Bergamo, FC Cologne, Karlsruher, FC Antwerp, Sporting Gijon, and Admira Wacker.

Former AC Milan and Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi has negotiated a unique contract with Atletico Madrid owner Jesus Gil before agreeing to replace Radomir Antic.

Sacchi will receive #20m compensation if he is dismissed before the end of his two-year deal in Spain. Since 1987, Gil has sacked 20 managers.

Antic can have no complaint. He spent #38m to build a team to conquer Europe and came nowhere near close. Sacchi's first signing is the Yugoslav Zoran Njegus, who cost #4m from Red Star Belgrade.

Clubs in Serie A, who showed a combined loss of #38m this season, have been warned by an independent study group that overheads must be reduced.

The fear is that cutting players' salaries could lead to their top players leaving for richer pastures in Spain and England.

q The Swede Lennart Johansson has been re-elected president of UEFA for another four years. However, his reign will be over if he succeeds in his campaign to become head of FIFA.

Whether he or FIFA secretary general Sepp Blatter will take over from Joao Havelange will be decided on June 8 in Paris. If Johansson wins then the European body must find a new leader.

Three days earlier the French could be embarrassed before the World Cup showpiece. A court will pass sentence on Francois Borelli for his part in the financial irregularities which occurred in his time as president of Paris St Germain from 1978 to 1991.

The prosecution has demanded a 15-month jail sentence and a fine of #10,000.

q FC Groningen will allow their supporters to watch free of charge their three home games in the play-offs for a place in the Dutch premier division. General manager Martin Koeman admitted: ''We have short-changed our fans too often this season, which turned out to be a shambles. This is our way making things up to them.''

q Racing Genk, the club born out of the amalgamation of Waterschei and Winterslag seven years ago, were the surprise winners of the Belgian Cup, beating Club Brugge 4-0 on Saturday.

q SPURS striker Jurgen Klinsmann will captain Germany's squad at the World Cup finals even if he is not assured of a place in the starting line-up.

Coach Berti Vogts said: ''Every player must accept that sometimes he will be left on the bench.''

q Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov is to play for Japanese outfit Yokohama Flugels after the World Cup. The J-league side will pay #2.5m for the 32-year-old, who quit Barcelona in mid-season and then played for CSKA Sofia and Saudi Arabian club Al-Ansar.