Steve Clarke Details SFA Contract Push Before Scotland World Cup Exit

Former Scotland head coach Steve Clarke says he had to press the Scottish Football Association to complete a new contract shortly before this summer's World Cup, even though he had already decided that failure to reach the knockout stage would probably bring his tenure to an end. BBC Sport reported his account after an event in Edinburgh.

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Clarke, 63, discussed the negotiations while being interviewed by former Chelsea and Scotland teammate Pat Nevin at a Spartans Community Foundation dinner. His comments were quoted by The Scotsman. Clarke said he found it strange that no offer had arrived by March and wondered whether the governing body was waiting to assess Scotland's tournament performance.

According to Clarke, negotiations ran from early April until the middle of May, shortly before Scotland's game against Curacao. He told the SFA that he would announce his departure if an agreement was not reached before the team left for the World Cup. A four-year contract was subsequently completed on the eve of the tournament.

Clarke nevertheless said signing that deal did not represent a later change of mind when he resigned. He had concluded that he would probably leave if Scotland did not advance from the group, unless the team produced three exceptional performances and results simply went against them.

Scotland opened with a 1-0 win over Haiti but then lost 1-0 to Morocco and 3-0 to Brazil. Those results left the team waiting in Charlotte for four or five days while a remote possibility remained of qualifying as one of the better third-place sides. Clarke said he knew the goal difference was insufficient and that Scotland would be eliminated.

After the Brazil defeat, Clarke spoke with several senior players and came away believing the squad needed a fresh voice to pursue a first appearance in the knockout stage at Euro 2028. He also said he spoke last week with his successor, Sebastien Pocognoli, to wish him well. Clarke believes Scotland should have a strong route to the tournament because two finals places are reserved for the highest-ranked hosts who do not qualify as group winners or runners-up.