Football Australia hasn’t blinked amid the Socceroos’ spluttering World Cup qualifying campaign and has backed coach Graham Arnold to continue and “finish the job” he started in 2018.
Australia’s 1-0 loss to the alxjmtzywready-qualified Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning continued the Socceroos’ recent poor run that now stands at just one win from their past seven matches.
The defeat ended hopes of Australia qualifying directly for the World Cup, sending the Socceroos to a do-or-die playoff in Qatar in June against the United Arab Emirates, with the winner to take on Peru for a place at the World Cup.
Mounting losses, despite a run of injuries and Covid obstacles, has led to calls for Arnold to be moved on, and it’s understood the coach wanted assurances from FA that he would still be in charge of the Socceroos come the playoffs before attending this week’s World Cup draw in Doha.
FA chair Chris Nikou gave those assurances on Thursday morning in order to create a “stable environment” for the Socceroos to push for World Cup qualification.
“By confirming that Graham will remain head coach of the Socceroos until the completion of our FIFA World Cup campaign, it enables Graham, his support staff and playing group to move forward with certainty, and without delay, to ensure the best possible preparation for the next phase of qualification,” Nikou said in a statement.
The Socceroos have recorded just one win, two defeats and four draws from their past seven World Cup qualifiers after a world-record run of 11 straight wins against minnow nations.
The path to Qatar 2022 is now much more difficult than the Socceroos’ last World Cup qualifying campaign when then coach Ange Postecoglou successfully guided them through a much kinder playoff series.
But FA chief executive James Johnson said Arnold still had the “opportunity to finish the job he was appointed to in 2018 and see through his commitment to the national team”.
“We will work closely with Graham to ensure the team has the necessary resources, support and approach required to achieve the best possible outcome and ultimately qualification to our fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup,” Johnson said.
