New Czech Republic manager describes Ireland’s football as ‘simple’ ahead of World Cup playoffThe new Czech Republic manager, Miroslav Koubek, has described the Republic of Ireland as a team that play “simple and straightforward football” ahead of the World Cup playoff. Ireland play the Czech Republic in their World Cup play-off semi-final in Prague on March 26th, in what will be Koubek's first game in charge. The 74-year-old was appointed in December after they sacked Ivan Hašek during qualification following a 2-1 defeat to the Faroe Islands. Speaking ahead of the game in March, Koubek said: "I watched all of Ireland’s qualifying matches, and now I’m halfway through watching Denmark’s performances. Shoukd Ireland qualify for the World Cup, they will be face Mexico, South Korea, and South Africa in the group stages.

Source: Irish Independent January 16, 2026 12:11 UTC