The head coach of the Greece national team, Gus Poyet, has explained further what he meant when he said, "He would be interested in becoming the manager of the Republic of Ireland football team one day."
Ireland is currently without a manager, and the FAI has been searching for Stephen Kenny's replacement since November. There had been hope that a new boss would be in place by now, but that hasn't been the case, and the search continues.
A number of names have been linked to the vacant Irish post already, and Poyet was one of the names in the hat because of comments he made last year.
The former Uruguayan made comments after Greece's 2-0 win over Ireland in Dublin and said, "It is a big plus for us to have this situation now and be able to beat the Republic of Ireland twice because, I tell you, the support in here. I would like to be in charge of the team here."
Speaking to Balls for Carlsberg 0.0 this week, Poyet admitted that his comments were merely those of an eager sportsperson, and the intention was not to put his name in the FAI's bag of options. However, he did admit that it is a job that any manager with sense would want. It would have to come down to the FAI at the end of the day.
"It was a game, as a sportsperson, that you would like to play in. You play away from home in an incredible stadium; the grass was spectacular, with a great atmosphere; we played well, and we won, so it was a perfect football day for me. I thought it was important to say it.
"Obviously, at that time, and I promise you, I didn't come with any idea about the future possibilities of coming here, but somebody very clever came and created a little bit of news.
(Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)"I think for any coach who wants to work at the international level, if he knows football in Ireland, the characteristics of the players, and the support he is going to get, I think it's a great job.
"It depends on the FA what characteristics of a manager they are looking for."
Greece could still qualify for Euro 2024, so any idea of Poyet making the switch from Athens to Dublin has been parked for now, and for the former Chelsea player, the timing is not right for him. His full focus is now on the play-off game against Kazakhstan in March. After that, Poyet will listen to offers, and that could be with Ireland; nothing has been decided.
"The timing is not right. I am focused on the play-offs, and I am very happy in Greece. The truth is that my contract finishes on March 31st, regardless of the result of the play-off. That's the truth,"he added.
"People are getting upset because I am saying it. You want me to wait until the 1st of April to apply elsewhere? At the moment, I am fully focused.
"I had some calls in December; I cannot tell you the teams. I am focused on March; that's everything I can say.
"If on the 1st of April I don't have a job, like any person, I will start looking for a job. Then we will see what is available."
