Houllier takes over as coach of Lyon

FORMER Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier has been named the new coach of reigning French champions Lyon. Houllier, ousted from the Liverpool hot seat last summer, will replace Paul Le Guen, who announced he was leaving the club after three seasons in charge during which time he won three league titles.

Lyon have won the league for the past four years, the first time under former France coach Jacques Santini.

After Le Guen's hugely successful period with the club, which also took them to the brink of the final stages of the Champions League, Houllier's European experience is likely to have been decisive. Lyon have failed at the quarter-final stages of Europe's premier club competition for the past two seasons (2004 and 2005).

Houllier, 57, has been in the coaching wilderness since he left Anfield at the end of last season.

The prospect of Luis Figo joining Rafa Benitez's Liverpool revolution has increased after Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo admitted his relationship with the Portuguese ace has cooled since he dropped him.

"We used to talk to each other but since he has been out of the team he has stopped greeting me. I speak with him on a professional basis but on a personal level it is something different," Luxemburgo revealed.

Figo has not started a game for Real since being relegated to the bench in early April, prompting speculation that the 32-year-old could be on his way out of the club in the close season.

"If he returns next year I will have no problems working with him. I am the boss and he is my player and he has to respect that, but I don't have any problems with him or anyone," Luxemburgo said. "His reaction to being dropped is understandable. He has been professional, but on a personal level I would have reacted differently."

Meanwhile in Serie A action, disgraced former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu made his comeback from a seventh-month drugs ban in Serie A champions Juventus's 4-2 victory over Cagliari.

The Romanian was sacked by Chelsea last October after testing positive for cocaine and a month later was banned from the game and fined 29,000 by the FA a decision ratified by world governing body FIFA.

In January he signed a five-year contract with Juve and yesterday made his debut as a 57th-minute substitute for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Coincidentally, both goals for Cagliari were scored by former Chelsea playmaker Gianfranco Zola but two strikes from David Trezeguet and one apiece from Alessandro Del Piero and Stephen Appiah saved Juve.

Brescia were relegated to Serie B after being beaten 3-0 in a win-or-bust clash with fellow strugglers Fiorentina in world-famous official Pierluigi Collina's last Serie A match.

A Fabrizio Miccoli penalty and goals from Martin Jorgensen and Christian Rigano saved Fiorentina as Brescia, who had Omar Milanetto sent off, join an already-doomed Atalanta in Serie B.

The third relegation slot will be decided by a two-legged relegation play-off between Bologna and Parma, who drew 3-3 with Lecce, as Siena ensured their top-flight status with a 2-1 victory at home to Atalanta.

Udinese clinched the fourth and final Champions League spot with a 1-1 home draw with AC Milan. Sampdoria, who could have finished fourth, were held 0-0 by Bologna.

Felix Magath crowned a fantastic debut season at Bayern Munich with his side defeating Schalke 04 2-1 in Saturday's cup final to clinch the German double.

Bosnian substitute Hasan Salihamidzic was Bayern's hero scoring the winning goal on 76 minutes after coming on as a replacement for Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Dutch international Roy Makaay had given Bayern a 42nd-minute lead only for Brazilian Lincoln to equalise from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time.