Santos to stay on Greek bench up to 2014
Fernando Santos will remain at the helm of the Greek national team for at least two more years, the head of the Greek federation (HFF) announced on Friday.
The Portuguese manager, who has led Greece unbeaten to this June’s European Championship finals, has renewed his contract until the finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, provided Greece makes it there.
Negotiations with the federation had been going on for a long time and Santos has sent signals to the press suggesting he might opt for a return to club management, but the bumped-up bonus the federation offered him on the condition that he guides Greece to the Brazil finals must have tipped the balance in favor of his staying.
“I am glad that I will still be Greece manager after the European Championship. I am proud of that and I will continue to fight with all my strength for the national team to be present in all major international tournaments,» read the statement Santos made to the federation?s official website.
“I am here for us to celebrate qualification to the 2014 World Cup.
“However, what I am thinking of above all right now is the 2012 European Championship.
“The effort we made with the players since the summer of 2010 has been rewarded with our qualification to the Euro finals, but it is now our obligation to focus 100 percent on that and maintain the team’s basic principles: to have passion, organization, clear thinking and always play to wins,» said Santos.
The increase in his bonus, however, has reportedly caused some grievances among federation officials.
