Robbie Keane has been confirmed as head coach of Hungarian giants Ferencváros after their Dutch title-winning Dutch coach Pascal Jansen left for New York City last month.
Keane had led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Israeli Premier Division title last season but faced excess scrutiny for working in Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The Hungarian league is currently on a winter break but resumes at the end of this month with Ferencvaros in second place, one point behind Puskas Akademia but with a game in hand.
“We announce the successor to Dutchman Pascal Jansen to lead our 35-time champion and 24-time cup winner team, as the 146-time national team player of the Republic of Ireland Robbie Keane has signed on Monday. The new head coach arrived in Budapest on Sunday evening and will leave on Tuesday to join our team at the training camp in Spain,” the club said today.
Keane’s former international teammate Rory Delap, who was Keane’s assistant in his one-season spell at Maccabi Tel Aviv, will again be part of Keane’s backroom staff.
They are also still in European competition, with games against Eintracht Frankfurt and Troy Parrott’s AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on the calendar before domestic duties resume.
The game against AZ, on January 30th, will be Keane’s first competitive home match.
Keane’s success in winning a league title in Israel with Maccabi in his first season impressed the ambitious owners of Ferencvaros.
📣 Announcement: Robbie Keane is the new head coach of Ferencváros.💚🤍 pic.twitter.com/dwr11oGpqY
— Ferencvárosi TC (@Fradi_HU) January 6, 2025
