The Scottish FA has begun the search for Steve Clarke’s replacement as national head coach, with its chief executive declaring “nothing’s off the table” after the surprise announcement of Clarke’s departure. The decision came shortly after Scotland were eliminated from the World Cup, failing to progress from Group C despite an opening 1-0 victory over Haiti. Defeats by Morocco (1-0) and Brazil (3-0) left the Scots 11th of the 12 third-placed teams, dashing hopes of reaching the round of 32.
Ian Maxwell, the SFA chief executive, revealed from the team’s base in Charlotte, North Carolina, that interest in the job has already surfaced. “I’ve woken up this morning to a few messages from people that are interested in the job,” he said. “Nothing’s off the table. We need to cast the net as far and wide as we can. It’s about getting the right coach, it’s not about necessarily where they come from.”
“Scottish FA chief Ian Maxwell says 'nothing's off the table' as search begins to replace Steve Clarke after World Cup exit.”
Clarke had agreed a new four-year contract just before the tournament, making his exit all the more abrupt. He took over in 2019 and ended Scotland’s 23-year wait for a men’s tournament, guiding them to Euro 2024 and this year’s World Cup – the first since 1998. But in all three tournaments, the team lost twice in the group stage.
Maxwell stressed the urgency of the process. “The succession planning starts now,” he said. Scotland’s next fixtures are Nations League games against North Macedonia, Slovenia and Switzerland in the autumn. “We’re a really attractive job,” Maxwell added. “We’ve got a Euros that we’re co-hosting in 2028 to look forward to. There’s been a lot of success over the last few years and we need to make sure that we appoint someone that can improve on that.”
He wants an appointment “as soon as we can”, but acknowledged the difficulty of setting a timeline. “It’s really, really difficult to put dates on it,” he said. “We’ve obviously got games coming up in September.” The search will be global, with Maxwell promising to find the right person – regardless of nationality – to build on Clarke’s legacy and drive Scotland forward.