Coach job cloaked in mystery
Sydney FC mentor out of picture and Fifa ‘Pro Licence’ sticking point for Kiwis
There are only two certainties about the next All Whites coach — it won’t be Graham Arnold and anyone without the Fifa “Pro Licence” isn’t in contention.
Sydney FC boss Arnold was interviewed for the job, meeting representatives of New Zealand Football in Sydney last month.
He was believed to be interested in the possibilities, especially if he could combine a national role with his club job for the next two years, before going “full time” for the rest of the cycle.
However the Herald understands there was a significant disparity in what Arnold would command as a salary and what NZF can afford.
The 54-year-old could have done well with today’s All Whites’ generation, but it was always a long shot, as Arnold will also have his sights on the Socceroos job after the 2018 World Cup.
So Arnold is off the list — but who is on it?
That’s shrouded in secrecy, which is standard in these situations, but no one without all their professional coaching badges will be considered.
NZF CEO Andy Martin has confirmed it is a prerequisite, and technical director Andreas Heraf shares the same view.
“It shows a certain quality,” Heraf told the Herald. “It means you have done good stuff before just to get the allowance to go there and it is not that easy to pass. And it is our right, and our clear pathway, and that is what I wanted to have.” It’s a puzzling stance. Such qualifications should be seen as a cherry-on-top scenario, but surely not a primary factor. Firstly, here’s a short list of coaches, who managed, in both senses of the word, without the Pro Licence. Terry Venables, Sir Bobby Robson, Bob Paisley, Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson. Not a bad list. There’s nothing wrong with the qualification — and by all reports it is an extensive, varied course — but it should be viewed in context. There’s a limit to what can be learned in a classroom. Look at this sample from the 2014 course run by the English FA. There were two sessions with Sir Clive Woodward on developing a winning culture, an Q & A with Carlo Ancelotti and a talk from then Warrington Super League coach Tony Smith.
It’s all worthy stuff, but being a successful football coach is all about time on the training pitch, time with the players, and most importantly time in the dugout. There are so many soft skills that are required, and after a while it usually becomes quite clear, simply by results and the player development under your watch; either you can, or you can’t.
Secondly, such a mandate virtually rules out any local contenders. The Pro Licence isn’t offered in New Zealand, and won’t be any time soon, as Fifa see Oceania as an amateur confederation because there are no professional leagues.
It makes it difficult to obtain the badge if you are based in this country, as there would be an investment of thousands required for regular flights across the Tasman, and there is limited flexibility around missing even a single session if you want to pass the course.
There’s nothing wrong with hoping that local coaches will work towards such qualifications, but it shouldn’t be a central tenet to a selection process.