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North Ireland national team coach Lawrie Sanchez has refused to coach the national football team of this country and has chosen to work at a struggling club in the English Premier League.
L. Sanchez has agreed to become the official coach of Fulham when the London club defeated Liverpool 1-0 last Saturday and secured their place in the Premier League. The Northern Irishman took over the club on April 10 when the previous coach Chris Coleman was dismissed. Despite winning only 1 match out of 4 with the new coach, Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed praised L. Sanchez as a steelworker who is dedicated to his work.
“In the last month, the team has been training with much more enthusiasm and enjoyment. I believe we can achieve much better results than before,” emphasized M. Al Fayed the importance of the new coach.
This news will be a big blow to the Northern Ireland national team, which rose to significant heights after L. Sanchez became the coach in January 2004, achieving a historic victory against England. Currently, they lead Group F in the 2008 European Championship qualifiers with 13 points from 6 matches and have a realistic chance of making it to the final stage.
“I am excited about the opportunity to coach Fulham and I am ready for this challenge. Of course, I am disappointed that I will not be able to help Northern Ireland in the fight for the European Championship, but this case is exceptional,” said the coach.
Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Football Association in an official statement said they understand L. Sanchez's decision and support him: “We completely understand the situation between Fulham and L. Sanchez and want to congratulate the coach on his new duties. He has done a lot for Northern Ireland football.”
Lawrie Sanchez, 47, was born in London, played for Reading, Wimbledon, Swindon, and Sligo Rowers, and represented the Northern Ireland national team three times. He gained fame as a player when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon against Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final. Sanchez started his coaching career in 1993 at Sligo Rovers. Before coaching the Northern Ireland national team, he also managed Wimbledon and Wycombe players.
North Ireland's next qualifying match will be played in August at home against Liechtenstein.
Fulham, currently in 15th place in the Premier League, will end their season on Sunday with an away match against Middlesbrough.
