Sacchi's departure opens the way for Hierro's return

Former captain Fernando Hierro could return to Real Madrid after Arrigo Sacchi's decision to quit as the club's director of football.

Real's announcement on Monday that Sacchi will leave at the end of the year came a day after they sacked Vanderlei Luxemburgo as coach and could trigger a complete restructuring of the club's technical staff.

Spanish media report that Hierro, who was discarded by Real after captaining the team to the title in 2003, could act as the link between players and the club's hierarchy.

One of his first tasks could be to heal reported rifts in the Real dressing room between Spanish and Brazilian players.

Real have appointed reserve team boss Juan Ramon Lopez Caro as first team coach on a caretaker basis while they try to recruit a big name figure to take charge.

Hierro left Real with then-coach Vicente del Bosque just 24 hours after they won their last trophy in June 2003.

He fell out with club president Florentino Perez after refusing to lead the team out on a second lap of honour at the Bernabeu following the final league game of the season.

The players were unhappy that the announcement of the signing of David Beckham had disrupted their preparations for the match, and at the treatment of Del Bosque who was not offered a new contract.

Hierro threatened legal action against Real after their failure to honour a verbal agreement to renew his contract and he was eventually given compensation by the club.

The central defender played over 500 games for Real and won three European Cups and five league titles after joining the club from Valladolid in 1989.

He made his peace with Perez last season and was honoured before the derby against city rivals Atletico Madrid last May.

The agent of Brazilian forward Robinho was quoted in Marca on Tuesday as saying the split between Spanish and Brazilian players had made life almost impossible for Luxemburgo, a Brazilian.

"There is a problem in the dressing room between the Spaniards and the Brazilians," Vagner Ribeiro told Brazilian Radio Bandeirantes.

"(Ivan) Helguera, Guti and Raul don't get on with the Brazilians and that made it very difficult for Luxemburgo to work." Real's Brazilian contingent also include World Cup winners Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.

Ribeiro laid the responsiblity for Real's failure to live up to expectations at Perez's door.

"I admire Florentino and consider him to be a man of his word, but he is to blame for this crisis. Real Madrid has an unbalanced squad."