Czech Republic coach Jaroslav Silhavy announced on Monday that he would be resigning, shortly after witnessing his team secure automatic qualification for Euro 2024 with a 3-0 victory over Moldova.
‘Even though we are happy now, we had already decided before the game not to continue,’ the 62-year-old coach told Czech Television in a post-match interview.
Since assuming the role in 2018, Silhavy steered his team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, but they were unable to secure a spot in last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
The Czechs have now guaranteed their place at next year’s Euros in Germany, but criticism has arisen due to the team’s lackluster displays in Group E, where they finished second to Albania, winning only four out of eight games.
Last weekend’s scandal dealt another blow to the Czech team, as West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal and two other players were sent home from the squad for spending Saturday night at a nightclub.
‘The pressure was enormous, beyond comprehension at times. It was one of the factors behind our decision,’ said Silhavy.
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The Czechs’ October downfall in Albania, resulting in a 3-0 loss, cast a shadow of uncertainty over Silhavy’s future as a former defender.
Rather than dismissing him, the Czech Football Association chose to curtail his contract until November 30, offering the chance for an extension should the Czechs qualify for Euro 2024.
The Saturday party added more woes to his situation, notably as Coufal, Jakub Brabec of Aris Thessaloniki, and Jan Kuchta of Sparta Prague were photographed in a night club two days before the Moldova match.
While the players issued apologies, football pundits harshly condemned the team’s lackluster atmosphere and squarely placed the blame on Silhavy.
Personally addressing the situation as “a big disappointment,” the coach expressed his dismay, particularly noting that all three players had been in the starting line-up for last Friday’s 1-1 draw against Poland in Warsaw.
‘I won’t say whether I was successful or not,’ Silhavy said on Monday.
‘You can see we have done some work, we have been working here for more than five years and there’s nothing we should be ashamed of.’
He said he would travel to Germany as a fan.
‘Germany is near (the Czech Republic). We will definitely go and cheer for the boys.’