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Goes bows out as Estonia coach

Estonia's Dutch coach Jelle Goes has left his position after terminating his contract with the Estonian Football Association by mutual consent.

Jelle Goes has stepped down as Estonia coach after agreeing to terminate his contract with the Estonian Football Association (EJL) by mutual consent. Goes' deal was supposed to run until the end of the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign but with Estonia sixth in Group E and yet to register a point or goal, he has decided to step down.

Consultancy role
"The initiative came from me, although I said after the England match that I would continue until the end of the year," explained Goes, who will continue in a consultancy role for the EJL's educational programmes until the end of 2007. "But after thinking over I came to a decision that it is time to move on and close this chapter in my career." Goes was praised for his attacking and entertaining style in his early days as Estonian coach. Good performances followed in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia, Russia and Portugal at home, but Goes' biggest achievement was the 2-1 win over rivals Latvia in September 2005. Estonia finished fourth in their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying group with all-time best 17 points.

Top award
However, their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign has been less successful. Defeated twice by Russia and Israel and by F.Y.R. Macedonia, Croatia and England, Estonia are only being kept off the bottom of Group E on goal difference by Andorra. "The results have not gone our way lately, but I still see a clear development," Goes said. "I am very proud of the players and I have enjoyed the time here enormously." Before leaving his post, Goes was presented with the EJL's Golden Order of Merit by president Aivar Pohlak, becoming only the third person to receive the prestigious award.

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