Tribulietx staying coy
The leading domestic candidate for the vacant All Whites job is keeping his cards close to his chest.
Auckland City’s Ramon Tribulietx has firmly established himself as one of the standout coaches in New Zealand, with an unrivalled record of success both domestically, in Oceania competitions, and at the Club World Cup.
New Zealand Football has made a pro-level coaching licence a requirement as it begins the search for Anthony Hudson’s successor, so the Spaniard is at the head of a very short list of local contenders. However, before he and his team flew out to the United Arab Emirates for this year’s Club World Cup, he was coy when asked if he was interested.
‘‘I’m only interested in Auckland City right now,’’ he said. ‘‘Outside of that, who knows, life will tell.’’
In an interview with TVNZ, he was equally non-committal, but said ‘‘if one day I can help the country, I’d be very proud’’.
Tribulietx’s record speaks for itself.
He has been solely in charge of Auckland City since the start of the 2011-12 national league season, and in that time they have finished top after the regular season five times out of six and won the grand final twice while losing in it three times.
They have also won the OFC Champions League six times, and in six trips to the Club World Cup, where they as amateurs are pitted against professional teams, they have never come away embarrassed.