Vogts appointed Scotland manager

Berti Vogts will succeed Craig Brown as manager of Scotland on 1 March after the Scottish Football Association (SFA) reached a compensation agreement with their Kuwaiti counterparts.

'Contract to be terminated'
SFA chief executive David Taylor secured the agreement in time for the German to take charge for a friendly international in France on 27 March. Taylor said: "I am delighted that our negotiations to secure Berti Vogts for Scotland have gone so well and that we have reached the end of a long road. I would also like to thank the Kuwait FA for their help and co-operation."

Important meeting
"Berti will begin work with us on 1 March, which means he will be able to prepare fully for Scotland's match against France on 27 March, but before then he will join us for the important EURO 2004™ dates planning meeting in Frankfurt next week," Taylor added. 

Contract terminated
Vogts is set to be unveiled before the Scottish media on Friday. A Kuwaiti Football Association spokesman confirmed his departure. He said: "His contract is to be terminated on 28 February and he will go on to be the Scottish Football Association's manager."

Success as player and coach
Vogts, 56, won 96 caps as a player for West Germany and was in the side that won the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He became coach of the national side in 1990 and led them to victory in the 1996 UEFA European Championship before standing down in 1998. "Berti Vogts is a world-class coach, with an impressive track record of success in international football," said Taylor recently. The Scotland manager's job became vacant last October after Brown failed to lead the country to the 2002 World Cup.