| Koeman handed Hungarian posting |
| Tuesday, 17 June 2008 | |
 Erwin Koeman has been named as the new coach of the Hungarian national team, with former incumbent Péter Várhidi set to take a different position in the national association.New man Várhidi led Hungary through UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying following Péter Bozsik's resignation but the Hungarian Football Federation have opted for a new man, now that Várhidi's contract has expired. At 46, Dutchman Koeman takes over for the duration of Hungary's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, in which they will face Albania, Malta, Portugal, Sweden and Denmark in Group 1. 'Great challenge' After spells coaching RKC Waalwijk and Feyenoord, Koeman is relishing the opportunity to move up to the international stage. "It is a great challenge for me," he said. "I know the Hungarian players and there are some talents among them. I've done a lot of work with youth players and I know there are many young players in the squad, though I set my standard by quality, not age. I am already focusing on the May friendlies against Greece and Croatia." European success The new coach, the older brother of fellow former Netherlands international Ronald Koeman, was part of the Dutch side that won the 1988 UEFA European Championship and was a midfielder for FC Groningen, PSV Eindhoven and KV Mechelen. Since hanging up his boots, he has coached Waalwijk and Feyenoord, resigning from the latter post at the end of the 2006/07 season. |
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