Controversy involving ex-Leicester, Nottingham Forest & Swansea boss Steve Cooper takes new twist | OneFootball

Ex-Leicester City, Nottingham Forest & Swansea boss Steve Cooper has recently been in a controversy involving Wales' upcoming World Cup play-off bid

Steve Cooper has continued to make domestic headlines some 12 months after his exit from Leicester City, with the Welshman currently in charge of Danish top-flight outfit Brondby.

A household name within the English Football League, Cooper's richly-talented England U17 side won the 2017 World Cup and he earned his stripes managing the Three Lions at age-group level before taking on a first senior managerial role with Swansea City two years later.

Two successive top-six finishes followed, a feat which has not since been replicated by the mid-table Welsh outfit, and Cooper then left for Nottingham Forest and merited his switch to the City Ground by achieving promotion via the Championship play-offs at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

After ending Forest's 23-year Premier League absence, Cooper would retain the Reds' top-flight status but saw himself relieved of his duties early into the following campaign.

Cooper remained in the East Midlands when he was appointed as Enzo Maresca's successor at Leicester City following the Italian's sudden departure for Chelsea in the aftermath of promotion to the Premier League, though he only managed to win two of his twelve matches with the Foxes and spent a matter of months in charge.

September of last year marked a return to management for the 46-year-old, who jetted over to Denmark to take the job at Brondby, but he was recently at the centre of a brewing controversy involving the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final between Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina - and it's now taken a fresh twist.

Steve Cooper's Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina controversy takes new twist

Ahead of Thursday evening's crunch semi-final showdown at Cardiff City Stadium, in which the winner will face either Italy or Northern Ireland in the final, it was claimed that Cooper had deliberately dropped 24-cap Bosnia-Herzegovina international Benjamin Tahirovic from Brondby's last two games in order to sabotage the nation's hopes of overcoming Wales.

Such claims came from none other than Bosnia-Herzegovina boss Sergej Barbarez, which were promptly denied by Brondby and have since been clarified by the player in question.

Barbarez had claimed that Tahirovic told him "some things that are hard to believe" relating to the "coach's origin". He added that Cooper assured the ex-Ajax midfielder that "everything will return to normal after the national team season", too.

However, the controversy has since taken a new twist owing to a recent update from Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, which has put those claims to bed and added much-needed clarity regarding the relationship between Cooper and Tahirovic.

As reported on Tuesday morning via X by Thomas, such claims have been "outright rejected". Crucially, it's said that Tahirovic also personally called Cooper to apologise for the claims made by his manager, who may just be feeling the heat as Bosnia-Herzegovina pursue a first route to the World Cup since 2014's tournament in Brazil.

Pontypridd-born Cooper will, of course, be rooting for the nation of his birth, but it was always a stretch to suggest he would put his club side at risk in the name of international allegiances, and the ex-Swansea boss must now appreciate Tahirovic's efforts.

How Steve Cooper is actually getting on in Denmark after Leicester City exit

Cooper is enduring a mixed reign in charge of Brondby as he bids to readjust a managerial stock which has fallen since leaving Forest in December 2023.

Brondby last won the Danish top-flight in the 2020/21 campaign, having won 11 titles overall. Cooper has taken charge of 15 league matches to date, returning six victories, four draws and five defeats.

That form led to a fourth-placed finish in the regular campaign ahead of a play-off fixture against Nordsjaelland in two weeks' time, and Cooper's side recently set the unwanted record for going the most matches (6) without a goal throughout February and March.

Interestingly, Cooper has also tapped into his EFL connections and nous to complete a host of deals for Brondby, having signed defender Luis Binks from Coventry City, Atalanta's Ben Godfrey on loan following a disastrous temporary stint at Sheffield United and ex-Watford