Stuttgart finished fifth in the Bundesliga after a rally by Werder Bremen in the final stages of the league allowed the 2003/2004 champions to finish in third place ahead of Hertha Berlin.

Following a meeting with Sammer, Erwin Staudt, the president of the club, said: "After our unsatisfactory end to the season we felt we needed to make some real changes. We want to start afresh."

A replacement for the 37-year-old Sammer, a former Germany midfielder who had previously coached Borussia Dortmund, has not yet been named.

Sammer arrived at the club only at the end of last season as a replacement for Felix Magath, who went to Bayern Munich as a replacement for Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Sammer's contract was set to run until 2007.