Matildas narrow down coach search with interim announcement imminent

Football Australia plans to start talks with top candidates for the vacant Matildas head coach role in the coming weeks, and will soon announce an interim appointment for upcoming friendlies.

The Matildas return to action for the first time since their disastrous Olympics campaign with friendlies in Europe in late October.

Football Australia (FA) announced on Friday that Australia will play Taiwan at AAMI Park on December 4 and GMHBA Stadium four days later - fixtures that are early Asian Cup preparation and could be the new coach’s first games.

Chief executive James Johnson wouldn’t say whether Tony Gustavsson’s permanent successor would be at the helm for the December home window.

But asked what stage the recruitment process was at, Johnson indicated things were heating up.

“We’re narrowing down a long list at the moment, and in the coming weeks we’ll be talking to a small group of candidates,” Johnson said in Geelong on Friday.

Former Manchester United and San Diego coach Casey Stoney, Sydney FC boss Ante Juric, former Matildas assistant Ross Aloisi and current assistant Mel Andreatta are potential candidates for the full-time role.

Clearly, an interim coach will be in place for the next international window, where Johnson hinted Australia would play Switzerland ahead of a confirmed friendly against Germany on October 29.

“We’ve got an upcoming window in Europe where we’ll be in Germany and Switzerland, so we need to appoint an interim coach for that window,” Johnson said.

“So I think within the next seven to 10 days we’ll be able to name who the interim coach will be, and the purpose of the interim coach is to ensure that we have as much time as we need to get the right permanent coach for the Matildas.”

FA wants a coach for a full four-year cycle, tasked with winning a home Asian Cup in 2026 before taking Australia to the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.

The coach will also have to navigate new standalone qualifiers for the World Cup, announced by the Asian Football Confederation on Friday. Previously, the Asian Cup doubled as World Cup qualifiers.

“I don’t want to put a timeline on the permanent coach,” Johnson said.

“Of course, the sooner the better, but at the same time we want to make sure we get the appointment right because we’re setting up - as we did four years ago - for a whole new cycle and we want to ensure that this is a long-term appointment.

“And it’s an important appointment, the Matildas are a great football team and they’re also a big brand, they’re a big part of the business, so we’ve got to get this decision right.

“So our process will be, we’ll appoint an interim coach, and then we’ll take as much time as we need to ensure we get the right person for the Matildas.”

Johnson wouldn’t be drawn on whether the ideal candidate needed to have worked in the women’s game.

“We’re looking locally and we’re looking globally and we’re looking for the coach that ultimately we believe will take this program and the team forward,” he said.