SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell says talks over Steve Clarke’s future are on hold so the national team boss can focus on ensuring Scotland make it to next summer’s World Cup.
Clarke recently stated that he is ‘75 per cent sure’ he won’t continue as head coach beyond the expiry of his contract next year, when he hopes to lead the side at the global finals in North America and Mexico.
While Maxwell admits he’s got ‘an eye’ on who could be the next manager, he feels no need to press the current incumbent on his intentions.
‘There has been no conversation,’ said Maxwell. ‘He wants to get us to the World Cup and we’re all just focusing on that.
‘It’s my job to have an eye on who’s out there at all times because managers leave for a variety of different reasons at a variety of different times, sometimes when you least expect it.
‘So, if I’m doing my job properly, there’s always half an eye on who’s available.
Clarke says he is ’75 per cent’ sure he won’t continue as head coach beyond expiry of his contract next year
SFA chief Ian Maxwell says he won’t be holding talks so that Clarke and everyone concerned can focus on ensuring Scotland reach World Cup finals
‘We’ll have that conversation with Steve as and when the time comes, but the focus has to be we want to get to the World Cup.
‘What do we need to do to make sure we give everybody the best chance of doing that?
Read More
Road to the World Cup starts here for Scots… and it’s a path fraught with danger for Clarke
‘We’ve got the players. You look at some of the guys in the squad, they’ll be looking at it as their last chance at getting to a World Cup finals.
‘There are guys that have been to a couple of Euros and enjoyed that, benefited from that and seen the impact that has had on them, the impac it has on the country.
‘Why would they not want to do that and sign off on that by getting to the USA?’
Hired as Alex McLeish’s replacement in 2019, Clarke took Scotland to the delayed Euro 2020 – the nation’s first tournament since the World Cup in France ‘98 – and backed it up by making it to Euro 2024 in Germany.
Set to have completed seven years in charge by the time his current deal ends, he increasingly looks likely to stand aside at that point.
Evidently relaxed about the situation ahead of the qualifiers starting in Copenhagen in September, Maxwell is reluctant to put a timescale on when or if talks over Clarke’s future might take place.
‘I think we just want to get to the World Cup and we’ll take it from there. It’s as simple as that,’ he added.
‘We just see where we go. We’ll have that conversation when the time is right, and who knows when that time will be right. But the focus has to be on getting to the USA, Mexico and Canada.’
