Former Portugal boss, Fernando Santos has been appointed head of the Poland national team.
The 68-year-old ended his seven-year association with the Selecao after a suffering defeat to Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Santos takes over from Czesław Michniewicz who also stepped down after the World Cup where Poland reached the Round of 16 but lost 3-1 to eventual runners-up France.
Polish Football Association (PZPN) President, Cezary Kulesza stated the governing put a lot of effort into selecting the right coach and Santos meets all their conditions.
“The last few weeks have been quite turbulent for us. We had to make a very difficult choice, we put a lot of work into it and today we made it happen,” Kulesza said in a statement on the PZPN website.
“We wanted the coach to already have experience with working with a national team, so that he would not have to learn this role from start. We also took into account the achievements and charisma. Today, we have a coach who meets all these conditions.”
🇵🇱 @LaczyNasPilka appoint Fernando Santos as their new head coach ✍️ pic.twitter.com/q83wUqqTGG
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) January 24, 2023
Santos, on his part, is pleased to be joining a team he described as one of the best in the world and is looking forward to integrating himself into the Polish culture.
“First of all, I would like to thank Mr. President for trusting me and my colleagues. It is a great honour for us, because we are talking about a great country, with an extremely rich history and culture,” Santos said.
“Polish football also has a history that has marked my generation. I’ve been following her for years. Matches against Poland have always been very difficult. The national team has many players of great quality, it is among the best in the world.
“It is an honour for me to continue my career in such a great country. From today, I am a Pole, I am one of you. And we will do everything to provide Poles with a lot of joy.”
Santos during his time as Portugal’s manager lifted the 2016 European Championship and the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019. He also managed Greece between 2010 and 2014.
His first official assignment with Poland will be Euro 2024 qualifier away to the Czech Republic on March 24 before hosting Albania three days later.
