Stuttgart sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger says the club were left with no choice other than to dismiss head coach Markus Weinzierl after the 6-0 humiliation against Augsburg.
Weinzierl was only appointed as Tayfun Korkut's successor in October but he has overseen just four Bundesliga wins during his six-month tenure.
Saturday's dreadful loss at Augsburg left Stuttgart just three points above the two automatic relegation spots in the top flight, while a play-off to avoid the drop looks inevitable.
Hitzlsperger said it was a tough decision to take but the best call had been made to try and secure Stuttgart's future.
"We stated several times that we wanted to bring the season to a successful conclusion with Markus Weinzierl and his coaching team, but we'd to take this decision" Hitzlsperger told the club's official website.