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Manager of Czech league champs sought as Slovakia coach

  16:19

Slovakia’s football federation has charged its president to headhunt Czech champions Viktoria Plzeň’s manager to coach the national team

Pavel Vrna (center) being interviewed after another success foto: ©Viktoria PlzeňČeská pozice

The manager of Czech league champions Viktoria Plzeň is being targeted by the Slovak Football Federation (SFZ) to become manager of the national team.

The federation’s executive board Tuesday gave the go ahead for its president, Ján Kováčik, to launch talks with Plzeň manager Pavel Vrba as the first choice target for the job.

Vrba, who led the west Bohemian team to its first league title in the 2009-2010 season during its centenary year and secured third place in their European Champions League group and a pending Europa League tie against Schalke 04, is reported to be interested in the offer.

The Slovaks’ previous manager, Vladimír Weiss, who qualified the team for a World Cup finals for the first time in 2010, stepped down this week.

Vrba is well known to the Slovak federation after being assistant trainer of the national side between 2006 and 2007. He also led the Slovak club MŠK Žilina to a league title in the 2006-2007 season. Slovak players, such as striker Marek Bakoš, are part of the successful current Plzeň setup.

Vrba’s contract with Viktoria Plzeň runs until 2013. Kováčik said the federation was keen to sign up Vrba as soon as possible, describing him as the most successful manager in the Czech Republic and Slovakia over the past five years.  No other name was advanced as an alternative, he added.

Slovakia failed to reach the final stages of the European Championships being staged this year in Poland and Ukraine after a dismal qualification campaign.