PRAGUE: The Czech Republic have appointed Ivan Hasek for a second spell as coach to lead the squad at this year’s European Championship.

The 60-year-old Hasek, a former Czechoslovakia captain, takes over from Jaroslav Silhavy who guided the Czechs to the tournament in Germany.

Silhavy quit immediately after they qualified in anger at criticism of some of the team’s performances on the way.

Hasek, who captained Czechoslovakia during their run to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals, led Sparta Prague to two league titles as coach and had a brief stint leading the national team in 2009.

He said: “It’s a great honour to lead the Czech national team because it’s the pinnacle of the career for any coach.”

The former Sparta Prague central midfielder, who spent most of his managerial career abroad with stops in Strasbourg as well as stints in the Middle East and Africa, signed a contract through the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Czech FA had also sought in vain to bring in former national team captain Pavel Nedved.

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