German giants Bayern Munich sacked manager Felix Magath on Wednesday after the 20-time champions slipped to fourth in the Bundesliga.

Bayern said Magath would be replaced until the end of the season by former coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who guided the club to the Champions League crown in 2001.

"We regret this decision," said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

"But in our role as managers of the club we have to see real development and take action."

Rummenigge said the club's board was concerned that Bayern were currently out of the qualification spots for next season's Champions League.

The split comes 24 hours after Bayern were held to an embarrassing goalless draw by newly promoted VfL Bochum which left them five points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Werder Bremen.

They could find themselves lagging eight points off the leaders if Werder beat Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

Tuesday's result left Magath's position decidedly shaky given that in three weeks time Bayern face Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 at the Bernabeu.

The alarms bells began ringing at Bayern before Christmas but the writing was on the wall for Magath when their opening game since the winter break resulted in a 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund on Friday.

The team has struggled to shake off the departure of playmaker Michael Ballack to Premiership champions at the end of last season and a broken leg for England international Owen Hargreaves left the midfield further depleted.

Magath, 53, said he was proud of leading Bayern to consecutive league and Cup doubles in two and a half years at the club.

"Obviously this isn't the best news because I'm proud of the two great years touched with success that I've had here.

"But it's always been clear that my contract could come to an end one day."

Hitzfeld, 58, led Bayern to four German championships and a Champions League title in his first spell as manager between 1999 and 2004, when Magath moved to Bavaria from VfB Stuttgart.

As well as his honours with Bayern, Hitzfeld also guided Borussia Dortmund to two German titles and a Champions League crown.

Hitzfeld, an arch disciplinarian, handed out 300,000 euros (390,000) worth of fines to players in five years at the club, according to Bild newspaper.

He turned a team once nicknamed FC Hollywood -- because the players gave coaches such a torrid time -- into a formidable unit, led by marauding midfielder Stefan Effenberg.

Once mentioned as a successor to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Hitzfeld instead pursued a media career after leaving Bayern.

But his return to Bayern is expected to be temporary and it is rumoured that current Lyon manager and former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is being lined up to take the reins at the Allianz Arena next season.

Magath was the second Bundesliga coach to part company with his club on Wednesday after former Germany international Jupp Heynckes quit as coach of relegation-threatened Borussia Monchengladbach.