New coach has big task

OPINION: Fritz Schmid has his work cut out to earn the respect of the New Zealand football community.

The announcement on Friday of the 58-year-old from Switzerland as the new All Whites coach was expected to be met with instant opposition in some parts of the New Zealand football landscape.

There have been threats swirling around for weeks from certain groups saying they will rebel against New Zealand Football if their ‘‘worldwide search’’ for a new coach ended with the hiring of a mate of technical director Andreas Heraf. And that, it appeared, was exactly what happened.

The pair know each other from their time working for the Austrian Football Association during the early part of this decade, with Heraf as an age-group teams coach and Schmid as assistant coach with the senior national team.

There was a fear from some that Heraf has surrounded himself with yes men who would not challenge him on his approach. Whether or not that’s the case, or even if that’s a bad thing, remains to be seen.

There was also annoyance that one of their own, Auckland City coach Ramon Tribulietx, was ruled out almost immediately because he would not acquire his Pro Licence until May. While not a Kiwi coach, he has put a huge personal investment into the game here, having coached at City for a decade, leading them to unprecedented success both domestically and at the Club World Cup.

His knowledge of the New Zealand football landscape and respect from coaches around the country is vast. He’s shown he’s not just here for a job or one World Cup cycle, and the way he was rejected sent a clear message to any aspiring coach in New Zealand: the top job will not be yours coaching here.

What Schmid needs to do is face those already against him.