Barić set to stick with Albania

Otto Barić has reached a verbal agreement with Football Association of Albania president Armando Duka to stay in charge of the national team for two more years.

'Not the issue'
The 75-year-old former Austria and Croatia coach, who has just been served with a three-match ban for insulting a referee at a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier, has agreed in principle to lead Albania in qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He replaced Hans-Peter Briegel in June 2006. "I spoke with the president for two hours and we have agreed to carry on with our project," he explained. Barić is said to have accepted a pay cut in order to continue in the role, saying: "Money was not an issue in our conversation. I have repeatedly said that. I want to continue my work. We have got something good here and I really want to be part of it."

First campaign
After their meeting, Duka, Barić and his assistant Shpetim Duro attended Wednesday's game between the Albanian top flight's leading two clubs – KS Besa coming from behind to beat FK Partizani 2-1 in Kavaje. In their first campaign under Barić, the national team have climbed to fourth place in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group G, which also includes Romania, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Belarus and Luxembourg. They play Belarus in Tirana on 17 November and Romania in Bucharest four days later in their concluding matches.