Craig Levein’s future ‘to be decided by SFA this week’

CRAIG Levein is expected to find out at the end of this week whether he is to remain in his position as Scotland manager.

• SFA board on stand-by to discuss Craig Levein’s future

• Levein has said he wants to continue in job

• Scotland to play Luxembourg on November 14

Levein has come under fire in recent weeks after Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup were all but ended by defeats in Wales and Belgium.

After opening Group A with disappointing draws against Serbia and Macedonia at Hampden, Levein’s team are bottom of the section with only two points from the first four matches.

Many supporters and pundits have subsequently called for the removal of the manager, and it is understood the Scottish FA board is to meet either tomorrow or on Friday to discuss the issue.

Levein’s future will effectively be determined by SFA chief executive Stewart Regan, president Campbell Ogilvie, vice-president Alan McRae and second vice-president Rod Petrie. But any decision of the four office-bearers will need to be formally ratified by the full seven-man SFA main board, which is completed by SPL chairman Ralph Topping, Scottish Junior FA secretary Tom Johnston and independent director Barrie Jackson.

Scotland’s next match is a friendly in Luxembourg on

14 November and it is expected that the manager would have to name his squad for that fixture some time next week. There is another friendly against Estonia at Pittodrie in February, before the World Cup campaign resumes in March with games at home to Wales and away to Serbia.

Whether Levein, the former Dundee United, Hearts and Leicester City manager, is in charge for any of those fixtures should become clearer in the next 72 hours.