Post by tajiritarantula on Jun 29, 2005 2:54:27 GMT -5
Frank Farina has stepped down as Australian soccer coach.
The decision ends Farina's six years as head coach of the Socceroos.
He will be replaced on an interim basis by national technical manager Ron Smith.
Farina said he did not want uncertainty about his role to impact on the team.
"Ever increasing speculation on my position is not something that I want to see affect the performance of the team and the potential for that happening has led to this announcement," he said in a statement.
"We have the players and the backing to get us to the World Cup and no single element of our approach should be allowed to undermine that."
Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy paid tribute to Farina.
"Frank Farina has been a dedicated coach over the past six years who has given his all for Australian football and we wish him well with his future endeavours," Lowy said.
"However it is important to now move on and focus on the World Cup campaign.
"Our responsibility is to do everything possible to ensure that Australia will be competing in Germany in 2006.
"We have said that we would be leaving no stone unturned to qualify for the World Cup."
Calls for Farina to stand down escalated after the Socceroos left this month's Confederations Cup winless.
The team lost all three games and conceded 10 goals in the process, losing 4-3 to host Germany and 4-2 to Argentina before being humbled 2-0 by Tunisia.
FFA chief executive John O'Neill had made it clear he expected a good performance from Australia at the tournament.
"We are treating the tournament as a World Cup trial, we're not going there to make up the numbers," O'Neill said prior to the Confederations Cup.
"We'd certainly be keen to get past the first round, and Frank Farina shares our objective of making the semi-finals."
Farina has had an uneasy relationship with O'Neill since he joined the FFA in February 2004.
It reached a head in May when O'Neill called for Farina to seek anger management counselling following the coach's run-in with SBS television reporter Andrew Orsatti after a friendly match with Iraq in Sydney.
Farina's national coaching record included highs of beating England in a friendly 3-1 in 2003 and guiding the Socceroos to third in the Confederations Cup in 2001.
That tournament included victories over heavyweights Brazil, France and Mexico.
But Farina failed in the major task of getting the national team through to the 2002 World Cup.
Up 1-0 after the first leg play-off match against Uruguay at the MCG, the Australians faltered badly in the return match, going down to the South Americans 3-0 in Montevideo.
Many questioned Farina's tactics after the loss.
He also presided over the national team when it hit"rock bottom" in July 2002 after losing to New Zealand in the Oceania Nations Cup (ONC) final.
Last year the Socceroos also posted a shock 2-2 draw against the Solomon Islands in an ONC match.
The decision ends Farina's six years as head coach of the Socceroos.
He will be replaced on an interim basis by national technical manager Ron Smith.
Farina said he did not want uncertainty about his role to impact on the team.
"Ever increasing speculation on my position is not something that I want to see affect the performance of the team and the potential for that happening has led to this announcement," he said in a statement.
"We have the players and the backing to get us to the World Cup and no single element of our approach should be allowed to undermine that."
Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy paid tribute to Farina.
"Frank Farina has been a dedicated coach over the past six years who has given his all for Australian football and we wish him well with his future endeavours," Lowy said.
"However it is important to now move on and focus on the World Cup campaign.
"Our responsibility is to do everything possible to ensure that Australia will be competing in Germany in 2006.
"We have said that we would be leaving no stone unturned to qualify for the World Cup."
Calls for Farina to stand down escalated after the Socceroos left this month's Confederations Cup winless.
The team lost all three games and conceded 10 goals in the process, losing 4-3 to host Germany and 4-2 to Argentina before being humbled 2-0 by Tunisia.
FFA chief executive John O'Neill had made it clear he expected a good performance from Australia at the tournament.
"We are treating the tournament as a World Cup trial, we're not going there to make up the numbers," O'Neill said prior to the Confederations Cup.
"We'd certainly be keen to get past the first round, and Frank Farina shares our objective of making the semi-finals."
Farina has had an uneasy relationship with O'Neill since he joined the FFA in February 2004.
It reached a head in May when O'Neill called for Farina to seek anger management counselling following the coach's run-in with SBS television reporter Andrew Orsatti after a friendly match with Iraq in Sydney.
Farina's national coaching record included highs of beating England in a friendly 3-1 in 2003 and guiding the Socceroos to third in the Confederations Cup in 2001.
That tournament included victories over heavyweights Brazil, France and Mexico.
But Farina failed in the major task of getting the national team through to the 2002 World Cup.
Up 1-0 after the first leg play-off match against Uruguay at the MCG, the Australians faltered badly in the return match, going down to the South Americans 3-0 in Montevideo.
Many questioned Farina's tactics after the loss.
He also presided over the national team when it hit"rock bottom" in July 2002 after losing to New Zealand in the Oceania Nations Cup (ONC) final.
Last year the Socceroos also posted a shock 2-2 draw against the Solomon Islands in an ONC match.