The Republic of Ireland are looking for a new manager after Stephen Kenny’s ill-fated reign drew to a close on Wednesday.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the men who could come under consideration for the vacant post.
Lee Carsley
Former Derby and Everton midfielder Carsley has enjoyed significant success as England Under-21s boss, guiding his side to European Championship glory last summer. Birmingham-born, he won 40 senior caps for Ireland and, at 49, has a wealth of coaching experience with Coventry, Sheffield United, Brentford, Manchester City, Birmingham and England Under-20s.
Roy Keane
The former Republic skipper remains a divisive figure in his native country after his bust-up with McCarthy in Saipan ahead of the 2002 World Cup finals, and it is approaching 13 years since he last managed in his own right at Ipswich. The 52-year-old former Manchester United star served as Martin O’Neill’s number two during his five-year reign with Ireland and, while he still enjoys the kind of profile which makes him a major figure in football, his lack of recent work as a coach – he spent five months working under O’Neill at Nottingham Forest in 2019 – may not be in his favour.
Chris Hughton
Current Ghana boss Hughton, who won 53 caps for Ireland as a player, has vast experience as a manager, guiding Newcastle and Brighton into the Premier League either side of spells in charge at Birmingham and Norwich. The 64-year-old was less successful in his most recent domestic role at Nottingham Forest, but has been working on the international stage since February and would tick a lot of boxes.
Sam Allardyce
Allardyce, who began his managerial career in Ireland with Limerick, has track record reorganising and revitalising struggling teams and there is little doubt that he would make the Republic more difficult to beat as a first port of call. Now 69, he last worked at Leeds, where he was parachuted in for a brief, desperate and ultimately futile Premier League rescue mission at the end of last season.
Neil Lennon
Former Northern Ireland international Lennon has long been touted as a future Ireland manager after the success of his first spell at Celtic, during which he led the club to three successive Scottish Premiership successes, two Scottish Cup wins and the last 16 in the Champions League. However, his stock has fallen since his second incarnation at Celtic Park ended in disarray in February 2021 with the Bhoys trailing arch-rivals Rangers by 18 points.
Mick McCarthy
McCarthy’s disgruntlement at the succession plan which saw Kenny replace him ahead of a Euro 2020 play-off tie against Slovakia was only thinly disguised, and he was not alone at the time. The prospect of taking the job for a third time might prove attractive to the 64-year-old, who guided the nation to the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan, who has worked at Cardiff and Blackpool since his second international exit.
KSAFA implements zero-tolerance policy for referee assaults
The Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) has announced a strong new measure to protect referees, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for physical assault against match officials. The decision, taken at a recent KSAFA Council meeting, introduces Article 55 - 3.2, a competition rule stating that “Any player who physically assaults a referee during a match will be automatically suspended for the remainder of the competition that they participate in.”
This newly instituted rule marks a decisive step by KSAFA to eliminate violence against referees and foster a safer, more respectful environment within football competitions. The rule imposes an immediate suspension on any player found to have assaulted a referee, and the suspension will remain in place for the entire season without the possibility of appeal.
In light of recent incidents highlighting the vulnerability of referees to mistreatment and physical attacks, including the withdrawal of services by match officials in the ISSA Schoolboy Football competition after attacks and delays in security response, KSAFA’s action signals a commitment to serious reform. Following a recent match where officials were physically assaulted, referees called for heightened protections and better working conditions, resulting in a temporary halt to several scheduled matches.
KSAFA President Mark Bennett stressed the importance of protecting referees, stating, “Referees are the backbone of our sport. Their safety and dignity must be respected. This rule demonstrates our commitment to creating a secure environment for all.”
To ensure effective enforcement, KSAFA will work alongside referees, clubs, and law enforcement agencies to investigate incidents and apply sanctions as swiftly as possible. This collaborative approach aims to instill a culture of respect for referees, reinforcing KSAFA’s stance that violence in football will not be tolerated.
Australia 0-0 Saudi Arabia: Visitors denied last-gasp winner on Renard's return
Saudi Arabia had a stoppage-time goal ruled out as Herve Renard's first game since returning as Saudi Arabia head coach ended in a 0-0 draw against Australia in World Cup qualifying.
Sultan Al-Ghannam fired through a sea of bodies in the 94th minute of Thursday's Group C contest at AAMI Park, but the celebrations were cut short due to an offside infringement.
Referee Ali Saeed Al Naqbi had earlier irked the home side by awarding a 12th-minute penalty for an Ahmed Al-Kassar challenge on Mitch Duke, which was then overturned.
Replays showed the incident happened just outside the box, but Australia felt the Saudi keeper should have been sent off and not issued just a yellow card.
Joe Gauci pulled off a fine double save later in the first half, albeit the offside flag later went up, but it was Australia who did more to win the game prior to the late drama.
Brandon Borrello was played clean through on goal and opted to square to Riley McGree, who was unable to help the ball past covering defender Saud Abdulhamid in front of goal.
Data Debrief: Another blank for both sides
Australia entered this game without a goal against Saudi Arabia in 2,716 days - a run that will extend for a little while longer after this latest blank.
The Socceroos have failed to score in three of their five third-round qualifying games, while Saudi Arabia have gone three in a row without netting.
Tony Popovic's side will justifiably argue they did more to win the game, though, finishing with an expected goals value (xG) of 1.31 to Saudi Arabia's 0.05, but the teams remain locked on points in Group C.
Bompastor unhappy with Chelsea performance despite maintaining 100% record
Sonia Bompastor was not happy with Chelsea's performance in their 2-1 away victory against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday, despite it extending her 100% record since joining the club.
The visitors had to fight back from a goal down after conceding a Murphy Agnew opener on 22 minutes but had turned things around 10 minutes later. Aggie Beever-Jones, meanwhile, was sent off in second-half stoppage time for two bookable offences.
While Bompastor was not impressed by her own side, she was quick to give credit to their opposition.
"I knew it would be a tough game for us, especially because of the Celtic mentality. They showed a lot of heart, and they played with a lot of energy. We were expecting that they were going to be really motivated," she said.
Chelsea came into this game without Millie Bright, Mayra Ramirez, Sjoeke Nusken and Kadeisha Buchanan, with Bompastor deciding to leave them out of the squad. It was a decision that resulted in some rustiness among the starters, according to the manager.
"I decided to rotate my squad, so sometimes it can happen that the players don't get the same chemistry together. But I wanted to have a better impression from my team. I'm really happy with the three points and the victory, but not really happy with the performance. We were not efficient enough tonight," she said.
"Every game is always an opportunity to learn. Tonight I learned a lot and I will share that with my players as a team, but also as individuals."
Following their Champions League victory, Chelsea face WSL leaders Manchester City at the weekend, with their opposition having dropped just two points in their opening seven league games.
Having given some fringe players a run out in Scotland, Bompastor was pleased at the prospect of a fresher squad going into such a big game.
"There are some positives. With our squad, we are still able to rotate players and rest some. We have the three points and the victory, so we stay in the good dynamic for that, but in terms of the performance, we needed to do a better job in different aspects," she added.
"As a manager, I always have different plans for the game and the three substitutions were planned. That's the positive. We are just now moving on and going into the Manchester City game exactly with the plans we wanted to have."
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