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Inassociation football, acaretaker manager orinterim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of afootball team, usually when the regularmanager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker manager may also be appointed if the regular manager is suspended, ill, has a suspectedcontagious disease (e.g.COVID-19) or is unable to attend to their usual duties. Caretaker managers are normally appointed at short notice from within the club, usually the assistant manager, a senior coach, or an experienced player.
In Ireland,Charlie McGeever was twice appointed caretaker manager ofFinn Harps in separate decades (1984–85 and 1995–96) before being given the job on a permanent basis. As permanent manager he led the club to the1999 FAI Cup Final, which they narrowly lost to an injury time penaltyrebound after a three-match marathon.[1]
In Italy, After Juventus firedClaudio Ranieri following a string of seven league games without a win in the2008–09 season,Ciro Ferrara was named caretaker head coach of Juventus on 18 May 2009 for the remaining two weeks of the season, with the goal of maintaining second place in the league table, and the possibility of being appointed on a full-time basis for a longer period. In his two games as caretaker coach, he led Juventus to 3–0 and 2–0 wins overSiena andLazio respectively, thus ensuring a second-place finish over rivalsMilan. Following these results, on 5 June 2009, Juventus formally announced his appointment as head coach for the 2009–10 season.[2][3]
In the2011–12 season, Inter sacked Claudio Ranieri as head coach andAndrea Stramaccioni was promoted to the first team as caretaker coach,[4] He led Inter to sixth place and a success in theDerby della Madonnina againstMilan that cost Inter's crosstown rivals the Serie A title; his results led club ownerMassimo Moratti to confirm him as head coach for the2012–13 season, as well.[5] The FIGC allowed Stramaccioni to sign the contract without a UEFA Pro Licence as he was admitted to 2012–13 coaching course in order to obtain the licence in June 2013. On 7 October 2012, Stramaccioni guided Inter to a 1–0 victory over Milan, On 3 November 2012, Stramaccioni guided Inter to a 3–1 away victory over the previous season's champions,Juventus. After 14 months in charge of Inter and a difficult2012–13 Serie A campaign which saw them finish in 9th place and thus fail to qualify for Europe for the first time in 15 seasons, the club announced on 24 May 2013 that Stramaccioni had been sacked and replaced byWalter Mazzarri.[6][7]
In Germany, On 3 November 2019,Niko Kovač leftBayern Munich by mutual consent after a 5–1 loss toEintracht Frankfurt, his assistantHansi Flick, promoted as interim coach. In his first match in charge, Bayern defeatedOlympiakos 2–0 in the UEFA Champions League group stage on 6 November 2019. In April 2020, Bayern Munich appointed Flick as permanent coach with a contract until 2023. Flick successfully guided Bayern to win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League, thus completing the continental treble for the second time in the club's history, the following season, he led Bayern to win the2020 UEFA Super Cup againstSevilla.[8] He also led Bayern to win its first ever sextuple after winningClub World Cup in February 2021 by defeating Mexican teamTigres.[9]
In November 2007,Sandy Stewart ledSt Johnstone to victory in the final of theScottish Challenge Cup in his only game in charge as caretaker manager.[10]
Guus Hiddink was caretaker manager ofChelsea in 2009, leading his team to theUEFA Champions League semi-final, where they shut outFC Barcelona atCamp Nou and tied them back atStamford Bridge. The latter was later said to be a very controversial game, particularly in decisions made by the refereeTom Henning Øvrebø. Chelsea would be later eliminated on away goals. He finished off his tenure with the team as they won theFA Cup. The club was reported happy to have Hiddink as manager even on a temporary basis.[11]
Roberto Di Matteo won theChampions League andFA Cup as caretaker manager ofChelsea in 2012, leading to him being appointed permanent manager on a two-year contract. He was sacked a few months into the new season,[12] being replaced by interim manager,Rafael Benítez,[13] who led his team to victory in theEuropa League, as well as guiding the team to a third-place finish in the league,[14] thus ensuring direct qualification for next year's Champions League. Benítez was not offered a contract as permanent manager, instead being replaced byJosé Mourinho who went back to Chelsea for a second term.[15]
In September 2016, afterSam Allardyce resigned asEngland manager afterallegations of malpractice,England under-21s managerGareth Southgate was installed as interim manager for a period of four games.[16] Southgate was appointed as England manager permanently at the end of that period, and went on to lead the Three Lions to a 4th place finish at the2018 World Cup and consecutive runners-up placings at the2020 and2024 editions of theEuropean Championships.[17]
McGeever, at 24, was installed as caretaker manager [of Finn Harps]… Just three days before Christmas in 1984, McGeever took charge of Harps for the first time.