Sebastien Pocognoli: Leading Candidate to Replace Steve Clarke
Sebastien Pocognoli has emerged as the Scottish FA’s leading choice to replace Steve Clarke, with the governing body moving quickly as the Nations League looms.
The 39-year-old Belgian, who left Monaco at the end of last season, has impressed the SFA hierarchy during talks. Chief executive Ian Maxwell and newly appointed chief football officer Craig Mulholland have both spoken to him as part of a shortlist of candidates, but Pocognoli is understood to be at the front of the queue.
Time is tight. Scotland return to competitive action in late September, opening a four-game Nations League block away to Slovenia on 26 September, and the SFA want a new man in place well before then. The sense around Hampden is that an appointment may not be far away.
Pocognoli’s coaching reputation soared in Belgium after he guided Union Saint-Gilloise to a historic league title in 2024-25, ending a 90-year wait for the Brussels club. That achievement, coupled with his recent spell in charge of Monaco, has marked him out as one of Europe’s rising young coaches.
He also brings a familiarity with British football. As a player, Pocognoli spent time in England with West Bromwich Albion and Brighton & Hove Albion and won 13 caps for Belgium, adding international experience to his profile.
If confirmed, he would become only the second foreign manager of the Scotland men’s national team, following German coach Berti Vogts’ spell in charge in the early 2000s – a rare step outside the domestic pool for the SFA.
The search began in earnest after Clarke’s sudden departure. Having signed a new four-year deal in May, Clarke resigned following Scotland’s group-stage exit at the World Cup, drawing a line under a seven-year tenure that delivered major tournament qualifications but ended in disappointment on the biggest stage.
Now, with the Nations League on the horizon and a new cycle beginning, the SFA appear ready to hand the reins to a 39-year-old title winner from Belgium. The question is no longer whether they will go foreign again – but whether Pocognoli is the man to push Scotland beyond the plateau Clarke reached.
