Santi Denia has been appointed head coach of the Czech Republic national team, becoming the first foreigner to hold the post in the country's history.
The 52-year-old Spaniard signed a two-year contract with an option for a further two years, the Czech Football Association confirmed on Friday. Association president David Trunda introduced Denia at a news conference in Prague.
"We greatly appreciate that an expert with such a credit and immense experience at the international level is joining the Czech national team," Trunda said.
Denia, a former Atletico Madrid centre-back who spent 11 seasons at the club between 1994 and 2005 and earned two caps for Spain, said he was ready for the challenge.
"I'm happy to be here and I'm extremely motivated, because I consider it a great opportunity to lead the Czech national team," Denia said. "Czech football has a magnificent history and I honestly regard it as a great honor to be here."
Denia replaces Miroslav Koubek, who resigned after the Czechs' early exit from the 2026 World Cup. Koubek accepted responsibility for a poor campaign in which the Czech Republic lost to South Korea and Mexico and drew with South Africa, finishing bottom of Group A with a single point.
Denia brings considerable pedigree to the role. As a coach he led Spain to the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won European titles with Spain's Under-17 (2017) and Under-19 (2019) sides. His most recent post was at Qatari club Al-Shahania.
His first major assignment will come in League A of the Nations League, where the Czech Republic open their campaign at home to Croatia on 26 September in a group that also features England and World Cup champions Spain.
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