Ivan Hasek to coach Czechs through World Cup qualifiers

Jul 7, 2009, 16:56 GMT

Prague - Ivan Hasek, the new head of the Czech Republic's football federation, is also to coach the national team in a last-ditch effort to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, the federation said Tuesday.

The Czech team faces the serious prospect of not making it to the World Cup finals. The Czechs rank fourth in their group, with only the group winner assured of a berth at the tournament.

'An extraordinary situation calls for an extraordinary solution,' Hasek said in a statement. 'It is not a standard move. I am assuming the responsibility. It is a short-time solution.'

Hasek, 45, is the team's second coach since April when Petr Rada, 50, was fired over the catastrophic qualification campaign.

He takes over from Frantisek Straka, 51, who led the team through a June 5 friendly with Malta, winning 1-0.

However, the federation's new executive committee, elected on June 27 to a four-year term, favoured its own head over confirming Straka, whose temporary contract ran out on June 30.

Hasek also persuaded retired coach Karel Brueckner, 69, to serve as an adviser. 'He will be with the team all the time, during practice and also on the bench during the game,' the new coach said.

The team's next game is a friendly with Belgium on August 12. The first of the remaining four qualifiers is scheduled for September 5 when the Czech Republic faces Slovakia.

Hasek, a lawyer by training, is a former international with 56 games and 5 goals. He worked as a coach in the Czech Republic, France, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.