Michael O'Neill turns down offer to become new Scotland manager

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill (SNS Group)

THE SFA have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to find a new Scotland manager with Michael O’Neill turning their offer.

The Northern Ireland boss had held talks with Scottish football chiefs about the vacant position last week.

But the 48-year-old, who was the SFA’s top choice for the role, said that it was not “the right opportunity for me at this moment in my career.”

In a statement, the former Brechin City and Shamrock Rovers boss added: “It’s a huge honour to be offered the position… I would like to place on record my gratitude to the SFA for the very professional manner in which they conducted negotiations and I would also like to wish them every success for the future.”

O’Neill is under contract with the Irish FA until 2020, and has the offer of a new deal on the table.

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said that the process of identifying and recruiting a new Scotland national coach remains ongoing.

He said: “The Board of the Scottish FA appointed a sub-committee to oversee the recruitment process, compile a list of suitable candidates and ultimately make a recommendation. As part of that process, and in recognition of his work in taking Northern Ireland to UEFA Euro 2016, Michael O’Neill was identified as an obvious candidate for consideration.

“To that end, we requested permission to speak to Michael from the Irish Football Association, which was accepted. Michael and his advisers met our delegation in Edinburgh on Thursday and discussed all aspects of the role during a three-hour meeting.

“While this was a positive and cordial discussion, we respect Michael’s decision to remain loyal to Northern Ireland, with whom he has enjoyed great success.

“We wish him well in his future endeavours and thank the Irish FA for their professionalism throughout. We now continue our recruitment process from the candidate list established by the selection committee, with a view to giving the new national coach ample time to prepare the squad for the UEFA Nations League.”