Belgian Pokońoli appointed head coach of the Scotland national football team
Kyiv • UNN
The Scottish Football Association announced the appointment of 39-year-old Belgian Sébastien Pokońoli as head coach of the national team on a two-year contract. He replaced Steve Clarke, who resigned after qualifying for the World Cup.
The Scottish Football Association (FA) announced on Sunday the appointment of Belgian Sébastien Pocognoli as head coach of the national team on an initial two-year contract, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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The 39-year-old former "Monaco" coach replaces Steve Clarke and will lead the team in the Nations League.
Clarke resigned after leading Scotland to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years, where the team was eliminated in the group stage of the tournament in North America this year.
"When I first heard about the interest, I was immediately excited by the opportunity. Scottish fans are known for their passion, which was especially evident at the World Cup in the United States, and I experienced it myself as a Belgium international when we played there in 2013," Pocognoli said in a statement.
He arrives after a brief spell at "Monaco," where he was dismissed in June after the club finished seventh in Ligue 1 and failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Before joining Monaco, Pocognoli was named Belgium's best coach after leading Union Saint-Gilloise to the league title.
The former left-back, who played for several clubs, including "Standard Liège," "West Bromwich Albion" and "Brighton & Hove Albion," is the second foreign coach of Scotland's men's national team after German Berti Vogts, who managed the team from 2002 to 2004.