FFA not in talks

Scolari claim denied

FOOTBALL Federation Australia says it is yet to approach any Socceroos coaching candidates, after World Cupwinning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari stated he was sounded out about the vacant position.

Scolari, who recently ended a 2½-year stint with Chinese top-flight outfit Guangzhou Evergrande, said Australia’s governing body had been in talks with his agent about replacing Ange Postecoglou.

He was interested, but wanted a long-term contract.

“I am one of the names they spoke with . . . to see if I was interested in taking them to the World Cup,” Scolaris said this week.

But the former Chelsea manager said: “I don’t intend in just taking a team to the World Cup.

“I intend on leading a team with an organised project for one or two years. “But I am interested.” FFA said yesterday it had not yet approached any candi- dates because its selection panel was still defining criteria for the job it has sought to have filled by mid-February.

The nine-person panel featuring former Socceroos Mark Schwarzer, Stan Lazaridis and Mark Bresciano has already been inundated with hundreds of inquiries including from agents representing a number of high-profile names, with Scolari understood to be among them.

“We’ve had loads of expressions of interest and CVs sent to us from agents and intermediaries and the like, and some really high-profile names have been a part of that,” FFA head of national performance Luke Casserly said.

Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson is another manager to have publicly flagged his interest amid a throng of rumoured others including Marcelo Bielsa, Juergen Klinsmann and Bert van Marwijk.