Canberra (Australia), Dec 5 (IANS) The head of Football Australia (FA) has said a decision will be made on Socceroos coach Graham Arnold’s future early in 2023.
Arnold’s contract officially expired when the Socceroos were beaten 2–1 by Argentina in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.
It means the 59-year-old, who has reportedly previously been offered jobs in Major League Soccer (MLS), is a free agent after four years in charge of the Australian national team.
The run in Qatar was the first time the Australian men have won multiple games at a World Cup and Craig Goodwin’s strike against Argentina was the Socceroos’ first goal in the knockout stage.
Despite the success, FA chief executive James Johnson said the governing body would not rush to decide on Arnold’s future — with a final call subject to the findings of an in-depth review of the campaign, reports Xinhua.
“We look forward to discussing our plans for the next World Cup cycle with Graham when he returns to Australia following a well-deserved break,” he told the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
“This thorough review will take place over the coming weeks and be presented to the board of Football Australia for consideration in the New Year.”
A former Socceroos captain, Arnold has managed the national team in two separate stretches in addition to successful stints with the Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC in the Australian A-League men’s competition.
Asked about his future following the loss to Argentina, Arnold said he had not thought about it and was instead looking forward to a break after a World Cup campaign that began in qualifying in 2019.
–IANS
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