Soccer:Republic of Ireland soccer manager Giovanni Trapattoni has been named Philips sports manager of the year for his role in helping the international side qualify for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next summer.
The 72-year-old Italian saw off stiff competition from the likes of Dublin All-Ireland winning football manager Pat Gilroy, Leinster’s Heineken Cup-winning boss Joe Schmidt and Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody, who led the Cats to a fifth All-Ireland hurling title in six years.
In qualifying for their first international tournament in 10 years, Trapattoni led Ireland to a second-place finish in Group B behind Russia before winning through a play-off with Estonia.
Ireland’s form on the road was been particularly impressive in the campaign, with 13 of the 21 points earned in the group coming in away games, while the 4-0 win away to Estonia in Tallinn made the home leg in Dublin more a celebration than a contest.
Trapattoni becomes the first international soccer manager to win the award since Mick McCarthy in 2001 after Ireland qualified for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea.
Previous to that, Jack Charlton won four manager of the year awards, including three in a row from 1987 to 1989, while Brien Kerr was rewarded for his work at underage level with back to back awards in 1997 and 1998.
