Ian Baraclough fired as coach of Northern Ireland

Seattle Sports

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Ian Baraclough was fired as coach of Northern Ireland on Friday after a poor campaign in the Nations League.

The team had targeted promotion in the Nations League but barely avoided relegation from the third tier after collecting only five points from a possible 18.

The 51-year-old Baraclough had replaced Michael O’Neill in June 2020.

“In light of the overall record of results on the pitch, the Irish FA board has subsequently taken this decision,” Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson said.

Baraclough’s final game was a 3-1 loss to Greece in Athens last month, which left Northern Ireland reliant on Kosovo’s win over Cyprus to avoid relegation to League D.

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