Skibbe Deal Close But Not Done Yet
Reports from Greece suggest that Michael Skibbe will sign a new two-year deal to continue on as manager of the Greek national team. The agreement is said to hinge on Monday’s General Assembly of the Greek Football Federation (EPO).
Assuming the move to keep Skibbe on for two years receives a unanimous vote then the 52-year-old German will lead Greece into the new UEFA Nations’ League competition and further on to qualification for EURO 2020.
If the EPO’s decision is not unanimous then the decision to award Skibbe a new deal will hinge on a vote by the federation.
It is believed that Skibbe’s new contract has received a ‘haircut’ of 30% from his previous deal. Skibbe was reportedly unhappy about this, however he was offered a lower salary due to the fact that he failed to qualify the team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The fact that the players wanted the coach to stay seems to have played a big role in Skibbe being offered a renewal for two years.
While Skibbe is the big favorite to continue managing Greece, in the last few days the name of Traianos Dellas has come to the fore. While he is only considered a longshot candidate, the belief is that should Skibbe fail to be voted for by the committee then perhaps the attention will turn to the former EURO 2004 winner. Some have criticized Dellas as an option citing his relatively short coaching career to date.
Either way it does appear that Monday will be the big day as far as determining what happens with managerial position for the Ethniki.
