Spain's Almeria hires Hugo Sanchez as coach

ALMERIA, Spain (AP) -- Almeria has signed former Mexico coach Hugo Sanchez to lead the Spanish club.

Sanchez takes over for the remaining 22 league games this season, with a contract option for the 2009-10 season should he keep the struggling club in Spain's top flight.

Sanchez replaces Gonzalo Arconada, who was fired on Sunday following Almeria's fifth straight loss -- a 1-0 defeat at Sporting Gijon -- to drop to 16th in the 20-team league, only three points clear of the relegation zone.

Arconada was the fifth coach to be fired since the start of the current campaign.

"Almeria has bet on a coach that, like a player, has done it all, who has great charisma and now wants to triumph in Spanish football as a coach," Almeria said on its Web site.

The 50-year-old Sanchez will arrive in the Andalucian city over the weekend before leading his first practice on Monday.

Sanchez, who led the Spanish league in scoring four times with Real Madrid and once with Atletico Madrid, won Clausura and Apertura titles with Mexican club Puma in 2004.

Sanchez was fired by Mexico in March after a 16-month stint having failed to deliver on promises of regional titles and an Olympic medal.

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