The thirst for information on the shock sacking of of Matildas coach Alen Stajcic remains unquenched after Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop gave little else away when he fronted the media on Monday evening.
Gallop said the decision to terminate the employment of Stajcic, who was dismissed by FFA on Saturday following an internal review into the culture of the national women’s football team, came after the situation “deteriorated” recently.
But he offered no further details due to the confidential nature of the survey, which began after the Tournament of Nations in July.
Gallop met with the playing group twice earlier on Monday during a long-planned team culture workshop at a Sydney hotel, where some players expressed their disappointment to him. But there was no move from the Matildas to get Stajcic reinstated.
“It’s not within the power of the players to appoint a coach,” Gallop said. “Nor then is it within the power of the players to reinstate a coach. There is of course some who have disappointment and they spoke up today.”
The survey, conducted by the women’s advocacy group, Our Watch, is an ongoing project, but with Australia to host a four-team World Cup warmup tournament at the end of February, Gallop said FFA wanted to conclude matters arising from the review quickly.
As it stands, the Matildas are without a coach five months before they begin their World Cup campaign against Italy in Valenciennes on 9 June. “We want to provide certainty as quickly as possible, with the least disruption as possible,” he said. “That’s the commitment we’ve given to the playing group today.”
The results of the survey, which is believed to have touched on issues such as bullying and harassment, will not be made public, nor have the players been informed of the details. All Gallop would concede was that “these matters are cumulative and there was a real view things had deteriorated in recent times”.
“Then it gets to a critical point where a decision has to be made with preparation time in mind,” he said. “That’s why the decision was taken.” He added that it was a misconception that the decision to sack Stajcic was based solely on the surveys. “It was based on a range of reasons and a range of information,” he said.
After Saturday’s decision, more than 15 Matildas players, including the vast bulk of the first-team squad, took to social media in a show of support for Stajcic. Star striker Sam Kerr, co-captains Emily van Egmond and Elise Kellond-Knight, and senior players including Lisa De Vanna, Lydia Williams, Kyah Simon and Caitlin Foord, were among those to express their shock at the decision.
I have not been gagged by the FFA. I have not commented because I wasn’t ready to comment while I am still shocked and upset. My trust was in Staj to lead us to the World Cup final & I believe he was the best coach for that. Thankful for everything his done for me and the team.
— Sam Kerr (@samkerr1) January 20, 2019
When asked about a divide within the playing group, Gallop said: “There’s mixed views, no doubt about that.”
For the moment there is no replacement for Stajcic lined up, although FFA is unlikely to be short of candidates. They head into the World Cup ranked sixth in the world, as a top seeded team and having a genuine chance to enjoy a deep run at the tournament.
“We’ll have a process that we can announce quite quickly around how we’ll do that [look into a new coach],” Gallop said. “The Matildas were offered input into that today and we’re only too pleased to provide that.”
It remains to be seen whether a new coach will be brought in just to oversee the World Cup campaign, with a longer-term replacement to be announced after the tournament in France. Arsenal’s women’s coach, Joe Montemurro, has been linked to the vacant post.
Along with Italy, the Matildas have been drawn in a group with Brazil and Jamaica at the World Cup. They will also host the inaugural Cup of Nations, featuring New Zealand, South Korea and Argentina, in late February and travel to the US for a final warmup game on 5 April.
