BERLIN, Nov 14 - Christoph Daum has again turned down Cologne's offer to coach the second division club where he began his managerial career 20 years ago, the club's director of football Michael Meier said on Tuesday.

"We threw everything we could into getting him," Meier said in a brief statement. "I'm sorry that we weren't able to take advantage of this unique situation."

Meier added that doctors had advised Daum, who is recovering from a throat operation, not to take a coaching job now.

Meier and Cologne president Wolfgang Overath had spent the last five days trying to persuade the 53-year-old to take over at the club relegated from the Bundesliga last season.

Cologne, who have slipped to eighth in the second division, sacked coach Hanspeter Latour last Thursday.

Daum began his coaching career at Cologne in 1986 but has not worked in Germany since 2000 when a positive test for cocaine use prevented him taking over as national team coach.

Cologne's mayor had appealed to Daum to take the job and more than 17,000 Cologne fans backed his return to German soccer on internet Web site www.daumzumfc.de (Daum to FC (Cologne)).