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Slovakia coach Calzona leaves job after disagreeing with contract extension

Slovakia coach Calzona leaves job after disagreeing with contract extension | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - Slovakia's head coach Francesco Calzona applauds supporters at the end of a round of sixteen match between England and Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Francesco Calzona walked away from the Slovakia coaching job after disagreeing with a contract extension on Monday.

Calzona’s contract expired on March 31 and the Slovakian Football Association offered him a two-year extension.

“(But) there was no agreement on the length of the cooperation,” the association said. “After an open mutual debate it was agreed that Francesco Calzona will not continue working with our national team.”

The former Napoli coach took over Slovakia in August 2022. Slovakia beat Germany 2-0 in World Cup qualifying and reached the playoffs but lost to Kosovo 4-3 last month. Calzona’s last game in charge was a 2-0 friendly win over Romania on March 31.

Under 57-year-old Calzona, Slovakia came close to reaching the quarterfinals of a major tournament for the first time since becoming an independent state in 1993, at the 2024 European Championship in Germany. In the round of 16, Slovakia lost to England 2-1 after extra time.

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