Struggling German side Koln have appointed Swiss coach Hanspeter Latour as their new boss.

Latour replaces Uwe Rapolder who was sacked after a 12th consecutive league match without a win.

Latour, who has been coach of Zurich club Grasshoppers for a year, has agreed a two-year contract with the Bundlesliga side.

The appointment has come as something of a surprise, with Austrian Walter Schachner and Klaus Toppmoeller, formerly coach at Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg, the favourites to succeed Rapolder.

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