Australia (Commonwealth) After six years in charge, Australian men’s national team head coach Graham Arnold has resigned. It was cited by Football Australia, saying Arnold, 61, had given them notice of his decision earlier in the week.
The squad is getting ready for the second window of the round three AFC Asian qualifiers in October; therefore, the search for a new head coach will start right away.
“I said I had some decisions to make after our game against Indonesia, and after deep reflection, my gut has told me it’s time for change, both for the program and for myself,” Arnold stated in a statement sent out by Football Australia.
Based on what’s best for the country, the players, and Football Australia, I have decided to step down. I’ve put everything I have into the position, and I’m incredibly proud of the things we’ve accomplished together.
Before being appointed on a full-time basis in 2007, Arnold, who took over as head coach in 2018, had a brief interim tenure in that role from 2006 to 2007.
His dismissal comes following Australia’s latest World Cup qualifying matches, in which they lost 1-0 to Bahrain and drew 0-0 with Indonesia.
The Subway Socceroos’ longest-serving coach, Graham Arnold, will step down as head coach effective immediately.
Under Arnold’s leadership, Australia accomplished a number of noteworthy firsts, including one of their best World Cup runs in Qatar in 2022, where they advanced to the round of 16 before losing to eventual champions Argentina.
They also achieved a record-breaking 11 straight World Cup qualification victories under his direction. Even though Arnold inked a new four-year contract after the 2022 World Cup, he has chosen to step down from the position.
“It has been an absolute honour and the apex of my career to lead the Socceroos,” he remarked. “After giving it some thought, I think it’s time for new leadership to lead the team into the future.” James Johnson, the CEO of Football Australia, acknowledged Arnold’s services and mentioned that his time there was a successful period.
Australian football and the team have been forever changed by Graham’s zeal and commitment, according to Johnson. “Under Graham’s direction, we accomplished outstanding feats that improved Australian football’s standing internationally.
Important World Cup qualifying matches are scheduled for Australia against China on October 10 in Adelaide and Japan on October 15.
Born on August 3, 1963, Graham James Arnold is an Australian manager and former player who most recently served as the coach of the Australian national team. In 2000, Arnold was appointed head coach of the Australian national soccer team for the first time.
Arnold worked with Guus Hiddink during the 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign, which saw them advance to the second round of the championships following the dismissal of head coach Frank Farina in 2005.
Following Hiddink’s departure, he was appointed the Socceroos’ acting coach. Later, Arnold helped Australia’s U23 men’s national soccer team—also known as the Olyroos—become eligible for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After that, Arnold helped Pim Verbeek qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Arnold’s next career move was to become manager of the Central Coast Mariners, an A-League team in trouble, where he led the team to a championship and a premiership between 2010 and 2013. The Football Federation Australia Football Hall of Fame counts him among its members.
With Sydney FC, Arnold went on to win two Premierships, a Championship, and an FFA Cup. Arnold was named head coach of Australia’s senior men’s national soccer team, the Socceroos, in August 2018.
A few A-League records are held by Arnold; he is one of just three managers to have obtained multiple A-League championships. He has managed the second-most games of any manager in the A-League (211), the second-most wins in the competition’s history (116), the best career winning percentage (54.9%), and the best career unbeaten percentage (81.5%).
Following the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Arnold took over as Australia’s coach from Bert van Marwijk in 2018. Under Arnold, Australia made it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they had their most successful World Cup campaign to date. They won several group stage matches for the first time, losing just once.
