Back to work - Iceland coach referees youth tournament days after World Cup exit

Back to work - Iceland coach referees youth tournament days after World Cup exit
By Reuters
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SOCHI (Reuters) - Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has put the disappointment of missing the World Cup knockout stage behind him by moving on to his next big tournament - a youth competition in his home town of Vestmannaeyjar on the tiny island of Heimaey.

Iceland held two-time champions Argentina to a stunning draw in their opening World Cup game. But it turned out to be the only point they mustered in Russia as they lost to Nigeria and Croatia and headed home after exiting the tournament on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old Hallgrimsson was back on the pitch in Vestmannaeyjar on Friday morning, whistle in hand, refereeing tournament games between Icelandic sixth-graders in the driving rain.

The Icelandic FA's official account tweeted a picture of the popular coach and some of the players.

"Fresh from the @FIFAWorldCup our manager, Heimir Hallgrimsson, is refereeing at a huge youth football tournament in his home town of Vestmannaeyjar," the FA said in the tweet.

Vestmannaeyjar, which is the name of both the town and the archipelago the island of Heimaey is situated in, is home to around 4,000 people. Hallgrimsson, a qualified dentist, still has a practice there.

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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