Arnold turns down Socceroos chance

Graham Arnold has ruled himself out of contention to coach the Socceroos at the World Cup.

The Sydney FC boss said he was ‘‘honoured and flattered’’ to have been informed just days ago by Football Federation Australia (FFA) that he was among a shortlist of candidates for the vacant job.

However, the 54-year-old said he was no longer in the running to replace Ange Postecoglou, who quit a week after ensuring Australia would qualify for a fourth successive World Cup.

‘‘I am committed to Sydney FC and 100 per cent focused on seeing out this season and winning two more trophies for this great club. I can confirm I will not be coaching the Socceroos in Russia,’’ Arnold said in a Sydney FC statement.

Arnold will remain in charge of the Sky Blues at least until the end of the A-League season but could yet take charge of Australia’s national team on a fulltime basis after Russia 2018.

‘‘Graham will be our head coach here at Sydney FC until at least the end of this season. Beyond that, we look forward to continuing our discussions about our long-term plans together,’’ Sydney chairman Scott Barlow said in a club statement.

‘‘Everyone at the club is focused on winning back-to-back A-League titles and embarking on our most successful Asian Champions League campaign ever.’’

FFA appears to favour a bigname foreign coach for a shortterm stint leading up to and including the World Cup.