"Without a doubt Matjaz Kek has been a good general manager and achieved excellent results with the national team," the association said, adding that Kek would continue to cooperate with NZS.

"NZS is thankful to Kek for the successful job and is looking forward to future joint achievements," the statement says.

The name of Kek's successor is expected to be announced at a press conference in Brdo pri Kranju in the afternoon after a session of the NZS executive committee.

Kek took over as head coach in January 2007 from Branko Oblak, who was dismissed after discontent mounted over the team's poor performances at the 2008 European Championship qualifiers.

He took Slovenia to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in what was only the second time ever the country qualified for the biggest football tournament in the world.

In the recently concluded qualifiers for the 2012 European Championship, Slovenia finished fourth in Group C behind Italy, Estonia and Serbia, failing to qualify for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

Kek previously coached younger national teams and the football club Maribor, with which he took two national champion titles.