Slovakia end search with Galis

European champion
Galis won the UEFA European Championship as a player with Czechoslovakia in 1976. His coaching career includes a short-lived first spell in charge of the Slovakia team, whom he led in a winter training camp in 1999 before quitting after a disagreement with SFS president František Laurinec.

Finals goal
Those problems are now resolved and the former FC Artmedia Petržalka coach has been charged with the task of guiding Slovakia to their first major finals, something which his four predecessors - Jozef Vengloš, Jozef Jankech, Jozef Adamec and, most recently, Jurkemik - have all failed to achieve.

Team building
Jurkemik was dismissed after the team finished behind Turkey and England in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying Group 7. His successor, who was also at the helm of ŠK Slovan Bratislava, FC Spartak Trnava and Omonia AC, said: "I would like to build a good team using less players than the former coach, and I want to create a good relationship with the players."