Hungary manager Rossi dodges chop after Ireland meltdown

Hungary coach Marco Rossi. Pic: Denes Erdos/AP

Hungary have opted against sacking manager Marco Rossi after being usurped by Ireland at the finishing line for a World Cup playoff spot.

Rossi is the second-longest serving manager in the Magyars history, racking up 82 matches at the helm since being appointed in June 2018, but his future was thrown into doubt by Troy Parrott’s heroics in Budapest last Sunday week.

The Italian had led Hungarians into their last two of three successive Euro finals tournaments but the football-mad country were fully expecting their quest to reach a first World Cup since 1986 to extend into next March’s playoffs.

That was the case until Parrott’s hat-trick snaffled a 3-2 win for Ireland, hurtling the Hungarians into a sense of emptiness and reflection.

A survey by national newspaper MLSZ found that a narrow 58% of recipients wanted to retain Rossi for the Nations League campaign kicking off in September.

Attitudes towards his continuity were also mixed at Tuesday’s board meeting but it was eventually agreed to keep faith with the 61-year-old – once a bout of ‘self-critical analysis’ was conducted.

Sándor Csányi, president of the Hungarian FA, couldn’t hide his disappointment at recent events when granting Rossi a stay of execution.

“We expect the team and the staff to reflect this in their performance in the coming period,” he said. “This renewal is unimaginable without the self-critical analysis of the past period, which the manager did in front of the President at our meeting.

“From managing the team for over seven years, we know Marco Rossi’s abilities and values.

“We see how he handles experienced players, integrates young players and discovers footballers who are playing in good form. He knows the domestic and international field well.

“We believe in him being able to recreate the fight and attention until the last moment on the pitch, which is a condition for successful international appearances.”