Former Ireland manager Brian Kerr (photo) was yesterday mentioned as a possible next Malta national team coach by The Sun.
Kerr, 58, had worked wonders with the Faroe Islands national team in the past. According to The Sun, he is included in the list of possible candidates for the Malta job.
An Online newspaper report also quoted a source close to Kerr as saying that if offered the job by the Maltese FA, he would probably accept, adding that the Malta post would be a greater challenge than that of the Faroe Islands.
Kerr is also reported as saying that it would be like the Faroe job, “but a lot sunnier”.
Kerr had steered the Faroes to qualification victories over Estonia and Lithuania while in charge (2009-2011) and his work at that tiny outpost to the far north of Scotland has not gone unnoticed by Maltese officials.
Before that, Kerr was national Ireland coach between 2003 and 2005 and coach of that Republic’s Under 20 side between 1997 and 2003. Earlier he had coached two clubs - Drogheda United (1984-85) and St Patrick’s Athletic (1986-1996).
Kerr has also been linked recently with the Northern Ireland job, but it is believed that the IFA are keen to appoint a former Northern Ireland international as the new manager, with Shamrock Rovers pair Michael O’Neill and Jim Magilton ahead of Kerr in the running, while Iain Dowie is also said to be keen on the post.
As a result, Kerr is likely to be on the lookout for employment opportunities and although managing a team that are ranked 155th in the world and only scored a single point in qualification for Euro 2012 would be quite a challenge, there are worse places to work than Malta, where the temperature remains balmy all year round.
No contact
The Malta Independent yesterday contacted MFA treasurer Antoine Portelli who said that Kerr was one of many who had sent his curriculum vitae. “This shows that the Irishman is interested in the job as are all the others who have sent us their cv for consideration. But I can assure you that we have spoken to no one yet,” said the treasurer.
Portelli said it was his personal opinion that the MFA will only be appointing a new coach by January, or the latest, February. “The association is in no hurry. Moreover, the MFA president had made it clear earlier that the choice of the new coach will have to be a decision taken with the full approval of the Executive Committee,” he added.
President Darmanin Demajo and MFA CEO Bjorn Vassallo are at present in the Czech Republic attending an important meeting in connection with the fixtures of European Group B of the 2014 World Cup.