Hallgrímsson appointed Republic of Ireland manager

Heimir Hallgrímsson has been appointed Republic of Ireland manager following an eight-month recruitment process.

Hallgrímsson was Iceland’s joint-manager when they famously beat England in Euro 2016.

He was manager of Jamaica in the last two years, departing the nation after exiting the Copa America in the last fortnight.

The task of replacing Kenny, who departed last November, proved a difficult one for the FAI.

John O’Shea took part of two interim spells as boss.

England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley was believed to have been the FAI’s initial target but he ruled himself out of the running.

Neil Lennon, Chris Coleman, Chris Hughton and former Greece boss Gus Poyet have all be linked at various times without a conclusion.

Georgia boss Willy Sagnol was also thought to be in the frame, but their progression to Euro 2024 cast doubt on that.

Hallgrímsson has emerged as the shock appointment this afternoon and will take charge of his first game against England in September.

He said: “It is an honour to be appointed today. 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.

“Finally, I am also looking forward to getting to know the people of Ireland and in particular the wonderful fans of Irish football. It is my responsibility to coach, prepare and develop our team as best as possible to deliver results on the pitch and to make our supporters happy and proud.”

FAI director of football Marc Canham has claimed Hallgrímsson became Ireland’s number one target at the start of 2024: “We are thrilled to announce Heimir as our new head coach. Earlier this year, we identified Heimir as our number one candidate whose capabilities and experience aligned with our criteria.

“Not only does Heimir have significant experience at international level with two different countries, but crucially he also has a track record of qualifying for major international tournaments and taking teams up the FIFA World rankings.

“It was also important for us that we recruited a head coach who is interested in the overall development of football in Ireland as outlined in the FAI’s football pathways plan and in particular someone who is interested in the development of our underage international teams both of which Heimir is hugely passionate about.”

Watch England v Republic of Ireland in Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying on Friday from 7.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on 2fm’s Game On