Football Australia is eager to have Tony Popovic’s future as Socceroos coach resolved before Christmas, but football boss Heather Garriock has warned that other candidates are “knocking at the door” as negotiations continue over a contract extension.
Garriock, FA’s executive director of football and deputy CEO, told this masthead discussions were already under way with Popovic’s agent, Frank Trimboli, after the postponement of January’s Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia threw the federation’s coaching plans into disarray.
Popovic turned down a four-year extension on the eve of the World Cup in favour of a short-term deal – partly because, as Garriock revealed last month on the Suited & Booted podcast, they could not reach agreement over financial terms.
Garriock confirmed Popovic’s current contract actually expires in March, and does not automatically extend because the Asian Cup has been postponed by nearly 12 months. The tournament will now kick off on December 23, 2027 and run through to January 21, 2028, subject to FIFA approval.
FA’s immediate preference, Garriock said, is to retain Popovic at least until the end of the rescheduled Asian Cup – even if that means he could be in the dugout in September, when Australia’s qualification campaign for the 2030 FIFA World Cup begins, without any guarantee he would see it through.
“We’ve already been speaking, even before this. That’s ongoing at the moment,” Garriock told this masthead.
“We need to do what’s best for both Football Australia and Tony, and they’re the discussions that we’re having at the moment. Our first priority is making sure that we both are happy with an extension for the Asian Cup.
“We’ve got people knocking on our door, but we need to give Tony the best opportunity, because he’s actually delivered and done the business for Football Australia, he’s prepared the players amazingly well, and for us to give him the best opportunity to win a trophy for the Socceroos … it’s only fair.”
Garriock praised Popovic for the way he has strengthened the Socceroos’ brand, bolstered the national team’s player depth and re-established “accountability” for the Australian jersey.
She also said his tenure – with Popovic having replaced Graham Arnold at short notice two years ago, at a precarious juncture in World Cup qualifying – showed changing coaches mid-cycle was not an impediment to success.
“Tony’s demonstrated that it’s not an absolute must,” she said.
Popovic’s four-year contract offer from FA was not publicly known until he revealed it unprompted in a press conference in September – but he did not mention remuneration being a factor behind his decision to knock it back, simply saying a short-term renewal gave both parties flexibility to consider their positions after the Asian Cup.
Popovic also made clear at the time that he would be comfortable walking away from the national team after the Asian Cup, irrespective of the team’s performance, and that his own job security was not important to him.
“I know the legacy that I’ll leave behind,” he said. “And if it’s someone else that takes it forward, that’s fine.”
Asked about her comments on the podcast that “it came down to money”, Garriock said FA were restricted in what they could offer any national team coach.
“We’re the governing body, and we need to live within our means,” she said.
“We need to future-proof and make sure our business is sustainable. Unfortunately, we can’t pay what a club pays … it’s a vastly different role and an expectation to being paid at club level.”
The challenge with a 12-month extension for Popovic is that FA could miss out on other coaches who will become available in the coming months – in particular, Kevin Muscat, who is coming out of contract with Chinese club Shanghai Port at the end of the year and would be receptive to discussions over the Socceroos job if Popovic did not continue, sources said.
“I think we need to get this put away by Christmas,” Garriock said.
Other nations face similar dilemmas. Graham Arnold’s short-term contract with Iraq was also due to expire after the Asian Cup, while Japan had already announced that Hajime Moriyasu would hand over to Go Oiwa after the tournament. Both federations, like Australia, must now revisit their plans.
Meanwhile, Popovic is set to unveil his squad on Friday for this month’s friendlies in the Middle East against Qatar and Jordan, which were to be their final warm-up games before the Asian Cup, and could yet be his final matches in charge of the Socceroos.
Despite the uncertainty over the coaching position, Garriock said those would still be important fixtures to prepare the team for what lies ahead, including the new World Cup qualifying campaign.
Some players, however, have expressed discomfort about the prospect of travelling to the region, according to sources close to the team, due to the deteriorating security situation.
Garriock said any player would be excused from this window without any future repercussions if they chose not to go for those reasons.
“It’s normal for both staff and players to be hesitant to want to travel to the Middle East at the moment,” she said.
“However, we’ve got the best intelligence on the ground, and we wouldn’t put the players or staff at risk. It’s a matter for the players to decide whether they want to travel, and we’ll support their decision, both the players and staff – and it certainly won’t have an impact on selection going forward.”
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