July 31 (Reuters) - Former Spain youth coach Santi Denia has been appointed as head coach of the Czech Republic national team, the country's football association (FACR) announced on Friday.
The 52-year-old Spaniard becomes the first foreign manager to lead the Czech team and has signed a two-year contract with an option for an extension.
He replaces Miroslav Koubek, who stepped down after the 2026 World Cup where the team were knocked out in the group stage.
"It is an immense honour for me to be here," Denia said in a statement. "Czech football has a great history and I am extremely motivated by this project. My only wish is to get to work as soon as possible."
Denia, who led Spain's Olympic team to gold at the 2024 Paris Games, will have his first matches in September with home Nations League fixtures against Croatia on the 26th and England three days later.
The team will also face world and European champions Spain during the campaign, setting up a meeting between Denia and his former colleague Luis de la Fuente.
"I was born in Spain and worked for the federation for 15 years but now things are different — I want to win against Spain," Denia said.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; editing by Clare Fallon)
