Stephen Kenny: Republic of Ireland boss to remain in charge for rest of Euro campaign
- Published
FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill spoke to reporters in Dublin on Thursday
Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny will remain in charge for the rest of the Euro 2024 campaign, the Football Association of Ireland has said.
Pressure mounted on Kenny after Sunday's defeat by the Netherlands effectively ended the Republic's hopes of qualifying for next year's finals.
FAI CEO Jonathan Hill says Kenny will remain in charge for the remaining three games and November's friendly against New Zealand.
A review will be conducted after that.
The Republic will face Greece and Gibraltar in October before concluding their qualifying campaign with a trip to the Dutch in November. They will then face New Zealand in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium on 21 November.
Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Dutch in Dublin was a fourth defeat in five qualifiers for the Republic, who have won just five of 26 competitive games during Kenny's reign.
The Republic still have a slim chance of reaching the Euros in Germany via a play-off in March, but the FAI would not confirm that Kenny would remain in charge if that opportunity to qualify materialised.
Speaking at a media briefing in Dublin on Thursday, Hill said: "We want to qualify for major tournaments, the public want it, the FAI want it and football in Ireland needs it, so we are of course disappointed to have lost the last two games.
"These will be discussed at the next FAI board meeting in September as review all international windows as normal.
Watch: Kenny 'the right man for the job' - McGrath
"While we might not have achieved the results that we had hoped for during this campaign, with qualification for the tournament set as a goal at the outset, I know the manager and players are fully focused on the remaining matches this year, and they will prepare for and deliver those games accordingly.
"Once these matches are played, and as with the women's World Cup campaign, we will then conduct an in-depth review of the campaign in its entirety after the final friendly match against New Zealand.
"The board will then meet to consider this review and next steps."
Asked if Kenny would remain in charge for a play-off in March, Hill said: "We will go through the games in October and November, review where we are and see what position we are in."
After losing to the Dutch, Kenny said he expected to remain in charge for the remainder of the campaign while admitting his future beyond that was out of his hands.
Midfielder Jamie McGrath said he and the rest of the players still believe Kenny is the right man to lead the team.
"It goes without saying the gaffer's the right man for the job," said McGrath.
"I know all the players are certainly of the same opinion."
Former Derry City and Dundalk boss Kenny was promoted from his role as Republic Under-21 boss to replace Mick McCarthy in April 2020. His contract runs until the conclusion of next summer's Euros.