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England Unveil Succession Plan As Atkinson Emerges From The Shadows
Former Iceland and Jamaica manager Heimir Hallgrímsson has been appointed the new Republic of Ireland head coach, the Football Association of Ireland confirmed on Wednesday.
The decision to appoint Hallgrímsson to the role ends the country's eight-month search for a permanent successor to Stephen Kenny whose contract was not extended following the team's failure to qualify for Euro 2024.
The 57-year-old was joint head coach of his native Iceland when they shocked England in the round of 16 at Euro 2016.
Hallgrímsson took sole charge of the national team from 2016 to 2018, leading the country to qualification for the World Cup in Brazil in Russia and an all-time high FIFA ranking of 18th. He was manager of Jamaica from 2022 to 2024, helping the team qualify for the 2024 Copa América and improving their ranking from 64th to 53rd.
"It is an honour to be appointed Head Coach of the Ireland Senior Men's National Team," Hallgrímsson said in a statement.
"Ireland is rightly a proud footballing nation which has consistently produced talented players and enjoyed many memorable moments at major international tournaments. We have a young and exciting team that has genuine potential.
"I am looking forward to working closely with the players to help coach and guide them towards improved performances and results ensuring we qualify and compete at major tournaments on a regular basis.
"We have important and exciting games coming up in the UEFA Nations League later this year and a massive FIFA World Cup qualification campaign coming up next year."
