Sami Hyypia named FC Zurich manager

Former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Sami Hyypia has been appointed as the new head coach of Swiss side FC Zurich.

The 41-year-old has signed a two-year deal to take over from Urs Meier, who was sacked by Zurich on August 3 shortly after a 3-2 home defeat by arch-rivals Grasshopper.

The appointment ends a spell of eight months out of work for former Liverpool captain Hyypia, who resigned as Brighton boss in December with the side in the Championship relegation zone after just six wins from 26 games.

The ex-Finland defender also had two years in charge of Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen between 2012 and 2014.