22.10.2018 14:23 h

Czech coach Hapal takes over Slovak national team

Former Czech international Pavel Hapal will take charge of Slovakia, replacing Jan Kozak who quit earlier this month, the Slovak Football Association said on Monday.

"After an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee, Slovak FA President Jan Kovacik announced that Pavel Hapal has been approved as the new coach of the Slovak national team," the FA said on its website.

The FA has approved Hapal until Euro 2020 with an option to extend the deal.

"Coaching any national team is an honour -- and particularly Slovakia. I was born in Czechoslovakia after all," Hapal told the FA website.

Founded exactly 100 years ago, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

The 49-year-old Hapal, who played 31 games for Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, has coached several Slovak teams.

He led MSK Zilina to the Slovak title and into the Champions League group stage in 2010.

In 2015, he took over the Slovak under-21 team which he led until the spring of this year. The team made it to the European Championship in 2017.

Kozak resigned on October 14 after finding seven players including Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka returning late from a party following a 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic in the Nations League.

Slovakia, who are bottom of their Nations League section without a point after two matches, next face group winners Ukraine at home on November 16.