Bochum, Germany - VfL Bochum apologized Monday for posting the dismissal of coach Marcel Koller on the club's website some four hours before the official announcement.

"We are sorry, especially for Marcel Koller," Bochum chairman Thomas Ernst said.

"It was a technical error. We had an assurance from a security firm that everything was safe and nothing could happen."

Koller, who had been in charge of Bochum since July 2005, was dismissed Sunday evening.

News of the dismissal appeared on the club website about four hours before the club released an official press statement.

Club spokesman Christian Schoenhals said the report on the website was a draft version which had not yet been passed for publication. (dpa)