László installed as Lithuania coach

Lithuania have appointed former Ferencvárosi TC and Heart of Midlothian FC trainer Csaba László as national team coach.

The charismatic 47-year-old replaces Raimondas Žutautas, who tendered his resignation following a disappointing end to UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying. "It was unanimously agreed that László's experience and vision make him the best candidate," said Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) president Liutauras Varanavičius. "We are looking forward to his work, both with the national team and our youth football system."

A Romanian-born Hungarian, László becomes Lithuania's second foreign coach – after Portuguese boss José Couceiro between 2008 and 2010 – since the country returned to international competition in 1990. His new charges came fourth in their five-team EURO qualifying group and will be back in competitive action in September with the start of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. The Baltic side have been drawn in Group G alongside Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Liechtenstein and Latvia.

A player with several Romanian, German and Hungarian lower-division clubs until his career was ended by injury in 1991, László began coaching with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach's youth sector before being invited to assist then Hungary coach Lothar Matthäus in 2004. He was also named Hungarian coach of the year in 2005 after guiding Ferencváros into the UEFA Cup group stage, and four years later claimed the Scottish equivalent following a third-place league finish with Hearts. The Uganda national team, Hungary's FC Sopron and Belgian outfit R. Charleroi SC also figure on his CV.