Santi Denia appointed Czech Republic head coach

The Czech Football Association has appointed Spaniard Santi Denia as head coach of the men’s national team, ERR reported. The 52-year-old has signed a two-year contract with an option to extend it by a further two years.

Denia is the first foreign coach to lead the Czech national team since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. “I am very pleased to be here and extremely motivated, because the opportunity to coach the Czech national team is a worthwhile challenge,” Denia said at a press conference.

“Czech football has a great history, and I consider working here a great honour,” he added.

During his playing career, Denia won the Spanish league title with Atlético Madrid. As a coach, he has mainly worked with Spain’s youth national teams, guiding both the under-17 and under-19 sides to European Championship titles. Two years ago, he led Spain’s Olympic team to the gold medal at the Paris Games.

Denia replaces Miroslav Koubek, who left after the Czech Republic’s unsuccessful World Cup campaign. The team failed to advance from the group stage, recording one draw and two defeats.

Denia’s first match in charge will be on September 26, when the Czech Republic host Croatia in the UEFA Nations League. Three days later, they will face England in Prague.