At the age of 74, Miroslav Koubek will be the new national football coach in the Czech Republic and will lead the selection to the next World Cup.
The national association announced in Prague that he had signed a contract for two and a half years. The former goalkeeper was coach at the first division soccer team FC Viktoria Pilsen until the end of September.
Koubek succeeds Ivan Hasek, who had to leave his post after the embarrassing 2-1 defeat in the World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands in October. In March, the Czech Republic will take part in the European playoffs for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
At times there was speculation in the Czech media about Jürgen Klinsmann or the Croatian Slaven Bilic as candidates for the coaching position. “An inspiring foreigner has not been found,” commented the news portal “Seznam Zpravy”.
The portal “Sport.cz” wrote about Koubek: “He stands for a direct and energetic approach and demands 100 percent commitment from everyone – that is perhaps what the current national team needs most.” Koubek’s previous coaching positions included the then 1. FC Amberg, FC Banik Ostrau, Bohemians Prague 1905 and FC Hradec Kralove.