Chris Coleman out of the race to become next Republic of Ireland manager
Chris Coleman is out of the running to be the next Ireland manager
The FAI’s chase for Stephen Kenny's successor will drag on into a 15th week at least after Chris Coleman, who had been installed as the new favourite, dropped out of the race.
And in a pivotal week for the association, with Tuesday’s launch by Mark Canham of the Football Pathways Plan, an appearance before the Public Accounts Committee on Thursday and fresh questions over the employment status of senior women's team manager Eileen Gleeson, the latest delay in the recruitment process for the senior men's team manager's job is an added headache for the FAI hierarchy.
Once the early favourite, current England U21 boss Lee Carsley responded in negative tones to the final approach from the FAI's recruitment team and that led to a chase for another candidate. Coleman entered the frame as he had at least one conversation with the FAI team, headed up by Canham, the FAI's Director of Football, and CEO Johnathan Hill.
Coleman's credentials based on his success with the Wales national team and his link to Ireland via his Dublin-born father also carried weight. FAI sources indicated that Hill and Canham had travelled to the UK on Monday for a final round of talks with Coleman.
But BBC Wales reported on Monday night that ex-Wales boss Coleman was no longer a candidate. It's believed that Coleman, who had been out work since leaving his Greek club in October, was dissuaded by the size of the task in turning around an Ireland side who dropped to 62nd place in the FIFA world rankings last week.
Coleman, who was dismissed by Sunderland in 2018 before moving to manage in China, is also keen to keep his options open for an opportunity at club level while the salary was also
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