Republic of Ireland Under-21 coach Noel King has been appointed as caretaker boss of the senior side on an interim basis.
King will take temporary charge as the Football Association of Ireland search for a permanent successor to Giovanni Trapattoni, who was relieved of his duties following defeats to Sweden and Austria in World Cup qualifiers.
The 56-year-old, who has also coached the Irish women's side, will now lead Ireland into next month's qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan.
Martin O'Neill remains the bookies' favourite to take charge of Ireland, but the FAI are believed to have distanced themselves from talks and decided to take their time to appoint the right man.
The FAI are reportedly concerned that O'Neill's long-term assistant John Robertson will not be well enough to take up a role in his coaching setup after suffering a heart attack last month.
Liam Power
