Football Australia need Graham Arnold to guide the Socceroos to the subsequent World Cup.
FA chief government officer James Johnson informed CODE Sports that dialogue with Arnold will happen imminently with a view to locking the coach down till 2026.
“Graham did an outstanding job in this past cycle. He exceeded our expectations,” Johnson mentioned. “He did very well, very happy with him, personally very proud of him. [We have a] great working relationship with him and we’ll be talking to him very soon.”
Australia’s 2022 World Cup marketing campaign was practically railroaded by the pandemic and was brutal on Arnold personally, given the lengthy durations in quarantine and isolation.
He was below stress to maintain his job after World Cup qualification losses towards Saudi Arabia and Japan in March, which compelled the Socceroos right into a playoff. But that stress was relieved when Australia beat Peru on penalties, then superior to the Round of 16 on the World Cup for simply the second time after wins towards Tunisia and Denmark.
The unity inside squad, as a lot because the outcomes, didn’t go unnoticed by the FA.
Johnson mentioned FA’s intention had all the time been to finish this World Cup cycle and conduct a complete assessment of the four-year cycle earlier than talking with Arnold.
“Graham will be part of the review that we’re doing,” Johnson mentioned. “His contract has come to an end and that’s something we’ll be talking to Graham about in the coming weeks.”
With rumours swirling that John Aloisi and Kevin Muscat are within the body for the Socceroos teaching job, Johnson mentioned he had not spoken to anybody else concerning the place.
“I’ve had no other discussion with any other candidates,” Johnson mentioned. “There’s never been a need to speak to any other candidates. That’s still the case today and we won’t be speaking to any other candidates before we’ve spoken to Graham and we’ll be speaking with him very soon.”
Arnold is in England together with his spouse on a vacation whereas his agent, Tony Rallis, is in Australia and anticipated to proceed talks within the coming weeks.
Johnson mentioned the explanation Arnold wasn’t re-signed instantly was a deliberate transfer by FA to steer away from making large choices with no correct course of in place, particularly after main tournaments.
“We’re talking about a four-year cycle, and we’re talking two days after the World Cup,” he mentioned. “If you’re at the German FA, Japanese FA, or at Man City, Juventus, Bayern Munich this is how things work.
“We are not going to have a knee-jerk reaction, we have a four-year goal in mind … and we’re going to make the best decision that we can for this team over the next four years.
“As we’ve seen at this World Cup, we’ve got a lot of good young players coming through, so what’s important is not rushing decisions. It’s getting the right decisions.
“We’ve told Graham we’ll be talking to him about his contribution to the last cycle, and talk to him about his leanings over that cycle. [We are] also going to have a discussion with him about what lies ahead for the Socceroos and Arnie. Something we’ll be doing very soon.”
Should Arnold proceed with the Socceroos, he is not going to have the extra workload of taking cost of the Olympic crew, with Socceroos assistant Tony Vidmar locked in to guide the Olyroos by way of qualifying for Paris 2024.
The Socceroos job will embody a remit to work intently with the junior nationwide groups, nonetheless, to proceed the success of this cycle which noticed 9 Tokyo Olympians – together with Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar and Keanu Baccus – transition seamlessly into the Socceroos arrange.
Johnson mentioned this World Cup had helped reshape how the Socceroos are seen each dwelling and overseas.
“Our expectation is of the national teams to get beyond the group stage,” Johnson mentioned.
“That’s what being a global player in world football means. Not just qualifying. It’s not the benchmark anymore.”
While in Doha, Johnson discovered Australian soccer was very a lot on the worldwide map, with figures from FIFA and UEFA impressed with the course the game is heading down below.
“People love looking at us having the muscle and clout to bring the Women’s World Cup to Australia,” he mentioned. “Clubs like Manchester United have come, too. Money trickling into the sport from global brands. Now they see the Socceroos perform on the global stage.
“It’s really sent a message around the world that we should be taken seriously.”
Johnson mentioned he’ll proceed dialogue with the federal authorities to handle what FA views as a funding imbalance for the Socceroos.
“Although we have a lot of legacy money coming in, we don’t get one dollar for the Socceroos from the Australian Sports Commission,” Johnson continued. “And I think that’s something we need to improve on, and we need more investment from the Sports Commission if this program is going to grow. It’s vital.”
Football in Australia stays a posh monetary beast, with these on the backside of the pyramid – specifically mother and father of younger gamers at grassroots ($300-$500) and elite youth stage ($1,500-$2,500) – paying yearly charges properly past what youngsters in AFL, rugby league and cricket are charged.
It is Johnson’s intention to make sure there’s a trickle-down impact with income to ease the burden.
“We now find ourselves three years later in arguably the healthiest position Football Australia has ever been in,” he mentioned. “The next evolution of our economic growth is to go beyond Football Australia‘s financial health and grow our economies, so we can generate more revenues and distribute more revenues to our member federations [the states].
“That will be a close focus of Football Australia over the next 12-to-24 months. That’s where we need to land: a top-down funding model.”
Johnson additionally revealed FA can be concentrating on the most important groups on the planet to journey to Australia in 2023, with video games to be hosted in March, June, September and October.
“Rest assured, we will be looking to bring top opposition to Australia to play the Socceroos,” he mentioned. “That’s on the radar, we have the connections and that’s something that will be a priority in the coming weeks.
“We need to be playing in Australia more often, against higher opposition. We did that with the Matildas over the last 18 months with Sweden, Canada, the US and Brazil coming.
“It builds the brand off the pitch, and hardens the team on the pitch.
“It’s got to be normal to compete and play against top global opposition, and eventually beat them.”
Originally revealed as Football Australia need Graham Arnold to proceed teaching the Socceroos till 2026 after profitable World Cup marketing campaign in Qatar
