Stephen Kenny sacked as Ireland manager after failure to qualify for Euro 2024
Updated at 21:15
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have announced that they will not renew the contract of current Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny.
It followed a meeting on Wednesday evening and a presentation to the Board by chief executive Jonathan Hill and Director of Football Marc Canham.
His departure comes following Ireland’s disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, where the team missed out on a spot in next year’s finals in Germany.
Their qualification run came to a close on Saturday after being beaten 1-0 by the Netherlands in Amsterdam and as a result finished fourth in the Group B standings having won only two of their eight games.
Kenny’s final game in charge saw Ireland draw 1-1 with New Zealand in a friendly in Dublin on Tuesday, with the FAI deciding that his contract would not be renewed following the conclusion of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
The FAI said in a statement “Having reviewed the EURO 2024 qualification campaign in its entirety, and recognising how difficult the Group was, the results needed to realise our goal of qualification for the tournament were not achieved.
“The Board agrees that now is the right time for change ahead of the friendly matches in March and June 2024 and the next Nations League campaign starting in September 2024.”
Meanwhile, FAI chief Jonathan Hill said: “Over the period of his tenure, Stephen and his staff have worked tirelessly to create the right environment to support the development of our senior men’s team, and we are hugely grateful for that considerable contribution.
“Stephen has also overseen an important period of transition for our senior men’s national team and has given debuts to a significant number of new and younger players and this will serve as a solid platform for whoever now takes this group of players forward.”
They said the recruitment process for a new head coach is now underway.
Kenny has been at the helm since 2020, replacing Mick McCarthy and has overseen plenty of changes within the squad, but only recorded six wins out of 29 competitive matches during his reign.
His contract expired following the New Zealand draw and admitted post-match he did not expect to continue as Ireland manager.
Additional reporting PA
Sourse: breakingnews.ie