Mirror Football
10. október 2026
Roy Hodgson has clinched his first job since leaving Bristol City last season. The former England boss has enjoyed a storied 50-year managerial career across eight countries, with his last role at the Championship club.
The 79-year-old took over the Robins in March 2026, with the club sitting 16th in the table, but steered them to safety in the 2025/26 campaign, finishing in 12th. Hodgson left the side in May and has now secured his next role in football, having been appointed to UEFA's Technical Observer Group.
The former Crystal Palace boss is joining former top-flight managers like Arne Slot, Erik ten Hag, Thomas Frank, Roberto Martinez and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the position.
UEFA states the group will analyse the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League with "stats and video assistance, enabling them to deliver detailed reports on the latest developments in coaching, which are shared among the footballing community to give a dynamic account of the state of the game."
Regarding Hodgson's addition, the governing body wrote: "One of the most experienced Technical Observers, Hodgson has managed a total of 22 different teams in eight countries, including four national sides: Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Finland and England. The well-travelled veteran, who speaks five languages, last season returned to Bristol City to help them avoid relegation."
Hodgson stepped down from full-time management after his second spell in charge of Palace, but returned to the dugout on a short-term basis earlier this year. He admitted that while retirement was treating him well, the opportunity to prove whether he could still handle the pressure of management was too tempting.
He told BBC Radio Bristol: "I was relatively happily retired before this came along. It just probably showed there are opportunities sometimes that come your way that maybe seem a little bit left field and you wonder, 'Am I really capable of taking this on?' And I proved to myself I am. There's no doubt about that."
He questioned whether he'd ever want to take on another head coaching job, as he added: "Any fears I might have had that, 'Well, you're too old for this now, you can't get out on the field with the players, you can't do the coaching and manage the team in the way you always did.' No, that's not true, I can do.
"On the other hand, whether I want to put myself in this position again and offer myself up for that type of employment, that's another question altogether. Because I am the age I am and I've had the career I've had, which I'm very pleased with and very satisfied with, it's given me so much."
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