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Rediff.com  » Sports » Coaches leave en masse after Euro 2004 surprises

Coaches leave en masse after Euro 2004 surprises

By Mark Meadows
July 07, 2004 21:19 IST
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Three days after the end of Euro 2004 and already half the 16 teams have lost their coaches.

When Dick Advocaat stood down as Dutch manager on Tuesday he became the eighth manager to leave following the roller-coaster ride of the European Championship, won by 80-1 outsiders Greece.

Victorious Greece coach Otto Rehhagel may yet add to the managerial merry-go-round if the overtures from his native Germany become too tempting to ignore.

If he ends up in the job, he would replace Rudi Voeller who stepped down after Germany's group stage exit in Portugal.

Inaki Saez was forced out after a first defeat to Iberian rivals Portugal in 23 years knocked Spain out in the group stage. Real Mallorca's Luis Aragones has now taken charge.

Also in Group A, the future of Russia manager Georgy Yartsev is unclear although his federation may choose to remember Russia were the only team to beat champions Greece.

Italy manager Giovanni Trapattoni failed to have his contract renewed and has been replaced by former Juventus boss Marcello Lippi.

Two weeks after Italy's controversial elimination in the group stage thanks to the 2-2 draw between Sweden and Denmark, Trapattoni was installed as Benfica manager, a vacancy created by Spain's World Cup 2002 manager Jose Antonio Camacho taking up the reins at Real Madrid.

CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR

Other Euro 2004 managers already in a new job include Jacques Santini who agreed to take over at Tottenham Hotspur only nine days before the tournament began.

Santini has since blamed the dithering of the French Football Federation over an extension to his contract as a contributory factor to France's poor showing at Euro 2004 when they were knocked out by Greece in the quarters.

Croatia boss Otto Baric and Bulgarian coach Plamen Markov also resigned after Euro 2004 group stage exits.

Only three managers who took their teams to the 2002 World Cup and to Portugal remain -- Morten Olsen of Denmark, Sven-Goran Eriksson of England and Lars Lagerback of Sweden, who has lost his co-coach Tommy Soderberg to the under-21 side.

The fact they are all Scandinavian is probably coincidence.

A reported four million pound ($7.4 million) a year contract until 2008 may have more to do with Eriksson's persistence.

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Mark Meadows
Source: REUTERS
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