Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny has stated that he won't resign from his role with the senior team ahead of their game against Gibraltar.
Ireland heads into the game with no chance of making it to Germany. The 2-0 loss in Dublin against Greece has confirmed Ireland's failure under Kenny.
Kenny's future with the Irish national team now appears to be nearing its end at the conclusion of the current qualifying campaign. The FAI has stated that Kenny will be in charge until the games against New Zealand and the Netherlands in November. They have also announced plans to review Kenny's future and Ireland's performances after these matches.
Despite numerous calls for Kenny to step down after Friday's defeat to Greece, he remains adamant about staying in his role. "I'm not considering resigning," said Kenny. "My contract ends at the conclusion of the campaign, and I will see it through. We want to finish the campaign strongly, and we are very determined to do that. After that, it’s completely out of my control. I have no control over the rest."
Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Ireland's chances of qualifying for Germany automatically are no longer viable, but there is a back-door option still available. Several results will need to go Ireland's way for them to enter the playoff rounds in March. When asked about this scenario, Kenny confirmed that he was always exploring alternative pathways to the finals in Germany.
"We are constantly updated and kept aware of possible opportunities," added Kenny. "Turkey winning against Croatia wasn't good for us, but Bosnia winning was beneficial. Bosnia has to play Slovakia in the last game, which is one possibility. And we don't know what's happening with Israel; if they had beaten Kosovo, they would have gone into second place. We don't know the situation there. It is interesting."
Match Details
Fixture: Republic of Ireland v GreeceCompetition: UEFA EURO 2024 Qualifying Date: Friday, October 13Kick-off: 7.45pmVenue: Aviva StadiumTV: RTE Match OfficialsReferee: Gleen Nyberg (SWE)Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi (SWE)Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderqvist (SWE)Fourth Official: Adam Ladebäck (SWE)Video Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (POL)
