Hearts are closing in on the appointment of a new manager after opening talks
with Uganda boss Laszlo Csaba.
The club confirmed today they had received permission from the Ugandan FA to
interview the Romanian-born coach.
The former Ferencvaros manager was in Edinburgh today to hold discussions with
Hearts officials.
The 44-year-old, who has also held coaching posts with Borussia Monchengladbach
and the Hungarian national team, has proved successful with Uganda.
He has led them from to 167th to their current position of 97th in the FIFA
world rankings, with the help of victory over Nigeria during their unsuccessful
but much-improved bid to qualify for their first African Nations Cup finals.
Uganda now sit two points behind group leaders Benin as they bid to reach the
next stage of the World Cup qualifiers.
Csaba claimed last week that he had also been approached by a South African
club and a European national team, but his arrival in Scotland appears to spell
the end of Hearts' lengthy search for a new boss.
Csaba is best known to Hearts fans as the man who clashed with Tynecastle head
coach John Robertson during a UEFA Cup tie between Ferencvaros and the Edinburgh
club in 2004.
Csaba claimed Robertson kicked him after the match, while Robertson said his
opposite number had stood on his foot and he was trying to free himself.
The match came in the group stages of the competition, with both sides being
knocked out at that stage.
He could now make a more permanent return to Edinburgh as Hearts make progress
in the hunt for a new boss that began in January.
That was when 10th-place Hearts broke up the coaching triumvirate of sporting
director Anatoly Korobochka, Angel Chervenkov and Stephen Frail.
They claimed they were looking for a manager with experience in British
football but majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov turned his attentions abroad
after being rejected by Motherwell boss Mark McGhee.
Vladimir Weiss took on the coaching role at his native Slovakia after talks
with Romanov, while discussions with German Jurgen Rober also stalled.
Hearts also approached former Stoke Boss Gudjon Thordarsson and former
Leicester manager Ian Holloway.
But interest in the Icelander apparently cooled and Holloway's agent last had
contact with the club about three weeks ago.
As Csaba was shown round the Riccarton training ground, Frail was saying his
farewells a day after his contract was terminated.
The former Hearts player was subjected to stinging criticism from Romanov
earlier in the week following his spell as caretaker manager.
Frail almost guided Hearts into the top six of the Clydesdale Bank Premier
League but Romanov criticised him and other Scottish coaches, claiming they
could not rise above the local footballing 'mafia'.
Frail rebuffed those accusations but is more concerned with finding a new job
after ending his four-year spell at Tynecastle.
'I would wholeheartedly disagree with it,' he told BBC Scotland.
'But everybody is entitled to their opinion and that's Mr Romanov's.
'We had a bad run of results at the end of the season but in the run of
results from January to the split, we amassed points that would have got us
third in the league.'
Frail added: 'When you take the manager's job you're one step closer to the
exit door.
'I'm aware of that and I know how football works. I'm obviously incredibly
disappointed it came in this way but that's football.
'I now need to look forward and get back involved in the game.'
