Football Australia have today announced a new four-year contract for Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold.
The move, which had been widely speculated since Australia’s impressive run to the round of 16 in Qatar, means Arnold will oversee the 2023 Asian Cup and 2026 World Cup campaigns.
Despite a rocky qualifying campaign in which the Socceroos only earned their spot after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Peru, Arnold led the national team to its equal best-ever finish at World Cup, also becoming the first Socceroos manager to win two group stage matches (in the same campaign or otherwise).
“Graham’s not only done well as Socceroos coach, but he’s a great person in the sport,” Football Australia CEO James Johnson said today at a press conference in Sydney.
“He (made) 56 appearances for the Socceroos as a player, he played a leading role in our national teams for over 20 years, and there’s really no one else I can think of that personifies what a Socceroo great is in this country (other) than Graham himself.”
Asked about what he wants to achieve in the next four years, Arnold discussed off-field improvements such as a national home of football, as well as seeing younger Australian players reach their full potential.
“The government needs to do their part and provide high-performance funding. We need a national home of football,” the 59-year-old said.
“I don’t have a role helping the APL, but I’m there for advice if need be. (It’s about) seeing kids fulfil their full potential.”
There is an element of risk in this decision from FA, considering how grim the situation around the national team was before Arnold managed to will the national team to its fifth-straight World Cup. You’d be hard-pressed to find a manager more stubborn than the former Sydney FC boss, and there must be question marks on some of Arnold’s decisions, such as bringing Mitchell Langerak out of retirement only to ignore him for the final 26-man squad.
Johnson admitted to not even considering other candidates – while showing loyalty to the man who made history in Qatar, it’s hard to say FA have done their due diligence here.
Ultimately, Arnold has had time to recharge after an exhausting World Cup campaign, and he seems as hungry as ever to propel Australian football forward. Time will tell whether this new contract is a masterstroke or major misstep.
Image credit: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images
