(Reuters) – Football Australia face a race against time to install a new Socceroos coach following Graham Arnold’s resignation, with chief executive James Johnson confident a replacement can be found before October’s batch of World Cup qualifiers begin.
Johnson ruled out making an interim appointment on Friday despite having less than three weeks until the Australians are scheduled for back-to-back matches against China and Japan on Oct. 10 and 15 respectively.
Arnold’s decision to quit came after his team picked up one point in their opening two matches in the third phase of qualifying for the 2026 finals earlier in September.
“We will look locally, but we also look globally,” said Johnson. “We know the market, and we know who’s in the market and who’s available and who isn’t available.
“That’s what good planning does, and that’s what good organisations with good football IP do. So I believe we’re in a position that when we need to move quick, we can, and I think we will.”
Tony Popovic, who led Western Sydney Wanderers to the Asian Champions League title in 2014, has emerged as an early favourite and is currently available having left Melbourne Victory in June.
Other former Socceroos, including Western United coach John Aloisi and Kevin Muscat, have also been linked with the post.
Shanghai Port coach Muscat, however, is unlikely to be available to take on the role, with his current employers leading the Chinese Super League standings with five games of the season remaining.
Former Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard, currently out of work after leaving his role leading France’s women’s team at the Olympic Games, has also been mentioned by media as a possible non-Australian alternative.
Whoever takes over will have to revitalise a qualifying campaign that endured a troubling slump earlier this month.
The Australians kicked off their campaign with a rare home loss against Bahrain before a 0-0 draw in Jakarta with Indonesia, leaving them five points adrift of early Group C leaders Japan and ahead of only China.
Saudi Arabia, whom Australia play in Melbourne on Nov. 14, complete the six-team group line-up.
Only the top two teams in each group are guaranteed to qualify for the World Cup, with the nations finishing in third and fourth advancing to a fourth round or preliminaries. The bottom two finishers are eliminated.
“We have another eight matches to go,” said Johnson. “I would say it’s a good time to freshen up the team with eight games to go.
“The reality is it’s a long qualifying process. It’s the longest qualifying process that we’ve ever had in a World Cup.”
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Writing by Michael Church; Editing by Tom Hogue)
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