Fed-up Ange to walk
Socceroos face final qualifier in state of doubt
A STATE of turmoil will stalk the Socceroos’ World Cup campaign for the next month, with coach Ange Postecoglou poised to walk away from the team after the playoff with Honduras next month.
As the Socceroos started hurried preparations to face the Central American side in San Pedro Sula early next month, the team has been left in limbo after their coach’s decision on his immediate future.
On a day of chaos for Australian football, Postecoglou held emergency talks with FFA chief executive David Gallop over his desire to leave the post, while the battle for control of the sport intensified with the threat of legal action from the A-League clubs.
Though the coach did not submit his resignation, he told Gallop that he was minded to step down after the two games with Honduras, whatever the outcome.
It leaves FFA in the extraordinary position of not knowing whether they need to find a replacement coach, while trying to prepare for an intercontinental playoff to secure a place at the World Cup.
It is understood FFA will not press him to make a decision until then, but Gallop told Postecoglou that he could not continue with the uncertainty beyond the playoffs, assuming Australia qualified for the World Cup.
Dispirited by widespread criticism of his tactics, and seeking a club job, the only certainty is that Postecoglou will pilot the team through the final round of playoffs, with Honduras emerging as the opponent after the US was dramatically eliminated.
After News Corp broke the news of Postecoglou’s impending exit, FFA issued a statement that confirmed the uncertainty over their coach’s future, with Gallop warning there needed to be certainty after the November games.
“Beyond (November), should we qualify, there is a period of some months until the World Cup and we agreed that we will need to lock in our set up as soon as possible to maximise our preparation time,” he said.
In the statement Postecoglou said he was “aware of reports today suggesting that I will step down as head coach of the Socceroos next month.
“My sole focus is on preparing the team for our final two qualifying matches. I will not let anything compromise the team’s journey on getting to a fourth consecutive World Cup.”
The governing body has been talking to potential successors to Postecoglou for some months, aware of his intention to leave after next year’s World Cup.
Those talks will not be accelerated, with FFA officials comfortable that there would be time to find a replacement if Australia qualified for the World Cup and he followed through with his intention to quit.
Sydney FC’s Graham Arnold is the most likely domestic candidate, a decade after he held the job for a year before Pim Verbeek took over.
Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat would also answer such a call, but Tony Popovic is effectively ruled out having just moved to Turkey.