The Socceroos will need to wait another 12 months for their next tilt at silverware after January’s AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia was officially postponed due to regional tensions, casting doubt over the immediate future of coach Tony Popovic.
Popovic was due to name his squad on Friday for friendlies later this month against Qatar and Jordan, the two finalists from the last Asian Cup, which were to be the national team’s final fixtures before the tournament was due to kick off in Riyadh on January 7.
However, as widely anticipated, the Asian Football Confederation confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that it would be pushed back until December 23, 2027, with the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces in Yemen, as well as the prospect of a wider war across the Middle East, forcing their hand.
The decision was taken “in light of the current exceptional circumstances arising from developments in the region, including substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions … making the postponement necessary in the interest of all participating teams, officials, spectators and other stakeholders,” the AFC said in a statement.
The implications for the future of the Socceroos, who loomed as a strong chance of winning their first Asian Cup since 2015, are huge.
Popovic turned down a four-year contract extension to sign a short-term deal on the eve of the FIFA World Cup, which expires at the end of the Asian Cup – a call he said would give both parties the opportunity to review their circumstances afterwards.
But Popovic, 53, will now need to come to an agreement on a new contract with FA to coach at an Asian Cup – whether it be another short-term extension, or one that will keep him in place for the full four-year cycle, including the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
It remains to be seen what Popovic’s and FA’s intentions are, while the federation is yet to begin sounding out possible replacements in the event he chooses not to stay on.
“I’m very comfortable with the decision that’s been made … if I leave a week [after the Asian Cup], I’ll still be comfortable with that,” Popovic said in September.
A year-long extension for Popovic could prove problematic in other ways: Kevin Muscat’s contract with Chinese club Shanghai Port runs out at the end of the year, and though he has long been regarded as a future Socceroos coach by FA, the opportunity to secure his services may be gone by then.
The delay also throws into doubt the prospect of the Socceroos facing off against former coach Graham Arnold’s Iraq, who were drawn with them in Group D alongside Tajikistan and Singapore. Arnold’s contract with Iraq was also set to expire after the Asian Cup.
Barring further deterioration in the Middle East, sources close to FA still expect the coming friendlies on November 13 and 17 to still take place – even though the specific reason they were arranged for no longer exists.
Meanwhile, Australia’s player union is taking Football Australia to court over a disgreement regarding the national teams’ collective bargaining agreement.
Professional Footballers Australia has launched legal action in the NSW Supreme Court to pursue a sum of money they believe is owed to Socceroos and Matildas players as part of the national teams’ collective bargaining agreement with FA.
The current CBA, which was signed in 2023 and runs out next September, entitles players to a certain proportion of revenues raised by the national teams – but the agreement, according to sources familiar with it, is complex and leaves room for interpretation on either side.
“Football Australia is aware of a procedural application filed by PFA in the NSW Supreme Court,” an FA spokesperson said in a statement.
“The application does not involve any substantive dispute between FA and PFA before the Supreme Court. Rather, it relates to the issuing of a subpoena to a third party in connection with a separate matter currently being conducted before the National Dispute Resolution Chamber (NDRC).
“The Supreme Court’s role is limited to the subpoena process, and its involvement ends once that process is complete. As the NDRC matter is ongoing and subject to confidentiality obligations, Football Australia will not comment further.”
The development foreshadows an ugly fight between the union and the cash-strapped federation regarding the next CBA, with FA executives of the belief that the current arrangement is unsustainable and cedes too much ground to the players.
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