Steve Clarke signs new Scotland deal ahead of World Cup challenge | OneFootball

Clarke was keen to iron out his future before flying out to the United States on Sunday

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has signed a new contract, committing him to the national side through the 2030 World Cup campaign. This deal ends major uncertainty over his future, as Scotland targets their first World Cup this century.

Clarke took over in May 2019 after leading Kilmarnock to a third-placed finish in the William Hill Premiership and with the task of ending Scotland’s absence from a major tournament, which stretched back to the 1998 World Cup.

He led Scotland to back-to-back European Championships, plus a spell in the top section of the UEFA Nations League, and a 4-2 win over Denmark in November sealed top spot in the World Cup qualifying group.

There has been long-standing uncertainty over the 62-year-old’s future beyond the current World Cup campaign with Clarke rating his chances of staying on as 50-50 in March after previously intimating he was likely to depart.

The former West Brom and Reading manager had not received a formal contract offer at that stage and hinted that clubs had made initial approaches to sound him out.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke

PA

Clarke was keen to iron out his future before flying out to the United States on Sunday and the Scottish Football Association has finally moved to clear up the uncertainty.

Clarke said: “Stability is the key to success in football and this has certainly been the case during my last seven years as head coach.

“It’s important we evolve and make improvements and I look forward to working with the new chief football officer, Craig Mulholland, to increase the pipeline of talent to the senior squad through the national youth teams.

“For now, it’s all about preparing for the World Cup, starting against Curacao this weekend.”

Scotland are looking for improvement when they take on Haiti, Morocco and Brazil next month after finishing bottom of their group with one point in each of the past two European Championships.

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell stressed that Clarke aims to build on performances in recent years.

“During our discussions about the future we were all agreed that we cannot rest on our achievements or ever take qualification for granted,” Maxwell said.

“The passion and enthusiasm with which he discussed that road map emphasises that this will not simply be a continuation but a renewed purpose and focus over the next four years.”