Veteran coach Vladimir Weiss, aged 61, has been reappointed as the head coach of the Slovakian national team, returning to the role 14 years after his first stint ended. Weiss, who led Slovan Bratislava to the Slovak league title this season, replaces Italian Francesco Calzona, who was dismissed after failing to qualify for the World Cup finals.
Weiss beat out Adrián Gul’a, coach of Latvian side Riga, for the position. The Slovak Football Federation had been in talks with both candidates before ultimately choosing the former Slovan Bratislava boss. “The two final candidates, Vladimir Weiss and Adrián Gul’a, showed great professionalism and interest in working with the national team. However, two days ago, Adrián Gul’a told us he still wanted to focus on club football, which we took into account,” said federation vice-president Ivan Kozák.
Weiss is the only coach to have led Slovakia to a World Cup finals. That occurred in 2010 in South Africa, where the team reached the Round of 16 before being eliminated by the Netherlands. In his coaching career, Weiss has won nine Slovak league titles and also served as head coach of the Georgian national team between 2016 and 2020.
The Slovakian national team now looks to rebuild under Weiss’s experienced guidance, aiming to return to major international tournaments.