Following Japan, Australia, which reached the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup as a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), will accompany the existing coach to the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.
The Australian Football Association announced on the 30th that it had signed a new contract with coach Graham Arnold (60). The contract period is until the end of the World Cup in North and Central America scheduled for 2026.
Australia, which advanced to the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in 16 years under Arnold’s leadership, was defeated 1-2 by champion Argentina.
Reuters reported that coach Arnold, who has led Australia since 2018, accepted the offer to extend the contract after much consideration after the end of this World Cup.
According to the Australian Daily Advertiser, three European and English clubs offered the manager position, and the ‘AFC top-notch national team’ also showed interest by arranging an interview schedule.
In fact, he revealed at his inaugural press conference that he rejected the offer from the Middle East national team because he could not forget the support the Australian fans gave him during the World Cup.
Currently, among the strong players in the Middle East, only Iran is looking for a successor to manager Carlos Queiroz.
As a result, two of the three AFC teams that reached the round of 16 in the Qatar World Cup, excluding Korea, will accompany the existing coach. All were guaranteed for 4 years.
Japan also extended the contract with manager Moriyasu Hajime at the end of last month until the World Cup four years later. It is the first time that a Japanese national team coach has been appointed for consecutive terms. 먹튀검증
In the group stage, Japan produced a surprising 2-1 come-from-behind victory over “champion candidates” Germany and Spain one after another, and advanced to the round of 16 by finishing first in Group E of the “Group of Death”.
Like coach Moriyas, coach Arnold became the first national team coach to succeed in consecutive terms since former coach Frank Farina, who held the helm for seven years from 1998.
Arnold’s immediate challenge is the AFC Asian Cup, which is expected to be held early next year in Qatar.
“My first goal is to win the Asian Cup, and my second goal is to go straight to the World Cup finals,” he said.
Coach Arnold is also a leader mentioned as a candidate for the command tower of the 2020 professional football K League 1 FC Seoul.
Coach Arnold, who played an active role as a striker in the Australian national team as a player, has a wealth of experience in coaching clubs such as Central Coast, Sydney FC (above Australia), and Vegalta Sendai (Japan).
