World Cup manager now out of a job as
Czechia have announced the departure of manager Miroslav Koubek by mutual consent following their disastrous World Cup showing. Koubek confirmed his exit just days after their underwhelming tournament ended prematurely.
Despite finding themselves in Group A, the European side crashed out after collecting merely one point from fixtures against South Korea, South Africa and Mexico. Adding insult to injury, midfielder Tomas Soucek departed North America on crutches having damaged his knee and ankle on the pitch during the Mexico encounter. Koubek had occupied the position since December and steered Czechia to World Cup qualification through two penalty shootout victories over Denmark and Republic of Ireland in the play-offs.
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Yet, after scarcely six months at the helm, he has announced his resignation, lashing out at what he deemed "half-truths" circulated throughout the tournament in his departure statement.
In his resignation announcement, he said: "After the failure at the World Championship, for which I bear joint responsibility as head coach, after considering all the circumstances, I have come to the conclusion that I will offer my position to the president of the FACR, David Trund.
"After mutual debate and consultation, the president accepted my proposal. The consequence is the termination of my work with the national team. A media campaign based on a series of half-truths and fabrications against me also contributed to my decision.
"In this atmosphere, my work for the Czech national team would no longer make sense. I would like to thank the chairman David Trund and the FACR Executive Committee for the trust they have placed in me.
"I would also like to thank Pavel Nedved for his cooperation, all members of the implementation team and employees of the Football Association of the Czech Republic for their enormous commitment and, above all, the players. It was a great honour for me to lead the Czech national team.
"I regret that after gaining knowledge from the World Cup, I will not be able to fulfil the specific and clear visions I had for my further work with the national team. A big thank you also goes to the fans. Their support throughout the entire journey to qualification and at the World Cup itself was extraordinary and I will never forget it.
"I wish the Czech national team and my successor further success in their progress. I will keep my fingers crossed for them, like every Czech football fan."
His exit comes hot on the heels of South Korea boss Hong Myung-bo's resignation. The South Korean chief, who masterminded a 2-1 triumph against the Czechs at the tournament's outset, stepped down following 1-0 defeats to Mexico and South Africa which ended their knockout stage hopes.
Earlier in the tournament, Tunisia boss Henryk Kasperczak was sacked following just one World Cup fixture, which saw his side suffer a 5-1 thrashing by Sweden.