Australia coach Postecoglou quits ahead of football World Cup

Glenda KWEK, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/11/22/postecoglou.jpg"/><figcaption>Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglou speaks during a news conference to announce his resignation in Sydney, Australia November 22, 2017. Dan Himbrechts, AAP via Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>SYDNEY -- An emotional Ange Postecoglou said Wednesday he will not take Australia to the World Cup next year after a lengthy qualification campaign, leaving the team just months to find a new coach for Russia.The announcement came at the tail-end of the Australian&#x27;s five-year coaching contract with the Socceroos, and ended weeks of speculation after reports emerged he would quit even if they qualified for the World Cup in 2018.The 52-year-old did not reveal why he chose to step down or announce any future plans, simply saying it was &quot;the right time&quot; to quit for himself and the team. Postecoglou also brushed aside questions about whether he had been affected by media criticism, and denied any conflict with the governing body.&quot;After a great deal of thought and soul-searching, I&#x27;ve decided that the journey for me ends as Socceroo coach,&quot; Postecoglou told a press conference in Sydney.&quot;It&#x27;s been the biggest privilege of my life and probably not the ending I had envisaged when we started, but at the same time, knowing it&#x27;s the right time for me and the right decision.&quot;FFA chief executive David Gallop said he was &quot;disappointed and I guess still a bit puzzled,&quot; by Postecoglou&#x27;s decision, but added, &quot;I&#x27;m supportive of the notion that sometimes you reach a point where you just know that you need to do something new&quot;.&quot;As for the process going forward, we won&#x27;t be rushed,&quot; he added, sitting alongside Postecoglou.&quot;The Socceroos have a big gap in the calendar now, and it&#x27;s important that we get the right person to fill the big shoes,&quot; he said.The Socceroos do not play until March, with Gallop adding that &quot;there&#x27;s enormous advantages in having an Australian in this position&quot;.&quot;But it doesn&#x27;t necessarily guarantee that we will be able to find an Australian.&quot;Gallop said it was too early to say if the FFA would appoint an interim coach to guide the team through the World Cup, or opt for a longer-term appointment.Sydney FC coach and Australian Graham Arnold has been seen as one of the top contenders to replace Postecoglou.Arnold, a former Socceroos striker, guided Sydney to their third A-League championship title in May in a record-breaking season.He worked under the Socceroos&#x27; Dutch coaches Guus Hiddink and Pim Verbeek, and managed the team in 2007 during the Asian Cup.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/football/news/2017/11/22/australia-coach-quits-despite-guiding-socceroos-world-cup-33828">READ: Australia coach quits despite guiding Socceroos to World Cup</a></li></ul><div>- Back to club football -</div>Australia reached their fourth-straight World Cup in Sydney last week after defeating Honduras in a 3-1 aggregate play-off victory in the qualifiers.The win capped off a gruelling, 22-match, 29-month qualifying campaign for Postecoglou and the team that criss-crossed Asia, the Middle East and Central America.Under Postecoglou, the Socceroos won 22 matches out of 49, drawing 12 and losing 15.Greek-born Postecoglou, who migrated to Australia as a five-year-old, was flung into the coaching hot seat just months before the last World Cup.He was given a five-year contract by the FFA after the sacking of German Holger Osieck and became the Socceroos&#x27; first full-time Australian coach in nine years.He had won two A-League championships with Brisbane Roar and gained a reputation for fast-paced, aggressive, passing football.Postecoglou refused to reveal details of where he might coach next, only saying that &quot;I don&#x27;t want to be unemployed for too long&quot;.&quot;I want to coach abroad. Part of me... is pretty keen to get stuck back into club football, working day to day,&quot; he said.&quot;I have loved this job. But it&#x27;s been all-encompassing... I&#x27;ll probably need to have a break with the family and just sort of regather my thoughts.&quot;<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

An emotional Ange Postecoglou said Wednesday he will not take Australia to the World Cup next year after a lengthy qualification campaign, leaving the team just months to find a new coach for Russia.

An emotional Ange Postecoglou said Wednesday he will not take Australia to the World Cup next year after a lengthy qualification campaign, leaving the team just months to find a new coach for Russia.

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Australia coach Postecoglou quits ahead of football World Cup

Australia coach Postecoglou quits ahead of football World Cup

Glenda KWEK,

Agence France-Presse

Published Nov 22, 2017 10:10 AM PHT

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football

World Cup

Australia

Ange Postecoglou

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