Uganda coach is latest name to join Romanov's Hearts list

Published on Thursday 3 July 2008 23:11

THE former Ferencvaros manager, Csaba Laszlo, has emerged as one of the remaining three candidates to take over the vacant position at Hearts.

Laszlo, currently in charge of the Ugandan national team, is understood to have held talks with Vladimir Romanov, the Hearts owner, within the last week. Jurgen Rober, the former Borussia Dortmund coach, did likewise although his chances of being appointed appear slim after apparently high wage demands and conflict over where new players should be sourced from.

Dutchman Anton Joore also remains in the frame for the Tynecastle job.

Laszlo should be somewhat easier to deal with. Aged 44, he played for various club teams in Romania – the country of his birth – and Hungary before retiring, aged 27, because of a knee injury. A youth coaching role at Borussia Monchengladbach beckoned, with Laszlo embarking on season 2004/5 in charge of Ferencvaros, a job he combined with assisting Lothar Matthaus' Hungarian national team.

The manager will be most remembered in Scotland from that spell for a post-match altercation with John Robertson, then Hearts manager, after Ferencvaros travelled to Murrayfield for a European tie. A 1-0 victory for the Hungarian outfit – as both they and Hearts tumbled out of the Uefa Cup after the first group phase – was followed by accusations from Laszlo that Robertson had kicked him. The Ferencvaros manager had earlier been banished to the stand for complaining about the hosts' unsportsmanlike behaviour.

"He (Robertson] must learn to lose as well as win," said Laszlo at the time of the Hearts legend, who retorted: "He called my team cheats, then stood on my foot. I never kicked him; I just pulled my foot away. If I had kicked him he wouldn't have been standing."

Laszlo spent a subsequent and brief spell in charge of another Hungarian team, FC Sopron, but has achieved cult status for his efforts in Uganda.

Dubbed a "Miracle Man" by sections of the African country's media, Laszlo is credited with raising the profile of Ugandan football to the scale of being attractive to sponsors and television stations for the first time.

Only goal difference ensured Uganda missed out on a place in this year's African Cup of Nations, while the team has risen to 97th in Fifa's world rankings from 167th when the manager took over. They are currently involved in a qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, last drawing 0-0 with Angola on 23 June.

Laszlo lacks experience of British football but speaks fluent English, alongside German.

After being rebuffed in attempts to lure Mark McGhee and Vladimir Weiss to Tynecastle, it remains to be seen whether or not Romanov can or wishes to secure Laszlo with Stephen Frail on gardening leave and the Bulgarian Angel Chervenkov in temporary charge of first-team training.