England coach Hodgson resigns after loss to Iceland in Euro 2016

Nice (France), June 28 (IANS) English football team chief coach Roy Hodgson has announced that he will step down following his squad's shocking 1-2 loss to Iceland in the Euro Championship pre-quarterfinals.

Hodgson, who refused to answer questions at the post-match press conference on Monday and only read a statement, said he was "extremely disappointed" about their Euro 2016 exit and that "now is the time for someone else to oversee the progress of this young, hungry and extremely talented group of players", reports Efe.

"It's been a fantastic journey, these four years, and it's one I'll look back on and remember with pride," he said at the press room in the Allianz-Riviera stadium.

The England Football Association (FA) announced in a statement that it has accepted Roy Hodgson's resignation.

"Like the nation, we are disappointed to lose this evening and that our run in the Euro 2016 has come to a premature end. We had high hopes of progressing through to the latter stages of the competition and accept that we have not met our own expectations or those of the country," said the statement.

"We back Roy Hodgson's decision to step down and will discuss next steps imminently. For now, we congratulate Iceland for reaching the quarter-final and wish them well against France at the weekend," it added.

"Finally, our sincere thanks go to the travelling fans for their incredible support tonight and to everyone back home for getting behind the team," it concluded.

--IANS

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