Coach Luboš Kozel will not continue on the bench of Liberec footballers after the season. He announced this at a press conference after the 0:2 defeat in Teplice in the opening semi-final of the league extension group for Europe. The 53-year-old coach will leave at the request of the new management, which came to the club at the beginning of April. Slovan said on the X social network that he will not comment on the position of coach for next season until the end of the year.
After the game in Teplice, Kozel took his word at the end of the press conference and announced to the journalists that he will only stay with the team until the end of the superstructure. A few minutes later, the North Bohemians confirmed everything in an official way through their accounts on social networks.
“Some speculations have been going on for a long time, so I would like to set the record straight about how it is. After the season in Liberec, I am retiring. Now I have the first opportunity to say it publicly.” said the Goat. “The information leaked out anyway, which is quite a mystery to me when three or four people knew. So it’s probably not worth walking around the hot mess. It was uncomfortable for me from that point of view, because the cabin also senses it. I don’t care either it didn’t feel good, which is why I told the team some time ago, which was essential for me,” said the former coach of Ostrava or Dukla Prague.
There has been speculation about Kozlov’s future in the media ever since businessman Ondřej Kania bought 75.65 percent of the club’s shares from Ludvík Karel at the beginning of April. At the same time, its former player and official Jan Nezmar returned to Slovan, whom the new board of directors elected as general manager.
“They simply decided on another coach, which of course they have the right to do. I would not like to comment further on it yet. I learned about it after the match with Pilsen at the moment when they officially joined the club, which I think is correct.” Kozel pointed out. “In the event of a certain result, I have an option in my contract for next season, but I respect that the new management has decided this way,” he added.
Kozel has been working in the north of Bohemia since August 2021. In the first season, he led the team to eighth place after the regular season, and in the following two seasons he took seventh place. Last year, with Slovan, he won the superstructure group by placing. Liberec still has a chance for the cups, but they would have to turn around the double match with Teplice and then manage the final of the group for Europe and the duel against the fifth team of the group for the title.
“Of course, I’m trying to finish the season as best as possible. We’ll try so that next time it’s not the last game of the season for me or for the team. We’re going all the way to the end.” Kozel assured.
