Charlton Athletic head coach Jose Riga has stressed the importance of passion to English football.
The Belgian – who counts Standard Liege among his former clubs – guided The Addicks to Championship safety with last night’s 3-1 victory over Watford at The Valley.
Riga has enjoyed his time in England but was at pains to stress there is no “appointment” booked regarding contract extension talks, with the Belgian’s previous deal believed to expire in the summer.
“I like England, it’s like so many times I heard about,” explained Riga. “It’s about football, it’s about passion, and it’s about people coming to the stadium to enjoy.
“It’s about big, big games with a lot of intensity, it’s about the professionalism of the players and the staff, so as coach and as I am, I’m looking for this kind of situation,” Riga added.
“I feel good, even if it was very hard [coming to England]. You have to discover it all, not only the team, your own team and you have to take some decisions very quickly, but hopefully – I repeat – it’s about football and I think, with that modestly, that I know football.”
You can listen to Riga's press conference below.
Watford head coach Beppe Sannino's post-match interview will be uploaded later today.
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