Have Egos Been Put Before the Team?

At the start of 2019 there were few in football in Australia who didn’t believe that the Matildas had a genuine chance of contesting the World Cup Finals in France, which get under way this week. However six months is a long time in any sport.

The events of January 18th 2019 changed all of that.

The truth is the Matildas for years have played second fiddle to their male counterparts, the Socceroos. The focus was very much on the men qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, as this was where the financial reward was.

Yet after the 2011 Women’s FIFA World Cup where the Matildas were unlucky to be eliminated in the Quarter finals the FFA still did not see that here was a team with immense potential that could challenge for an Olympic medal let alone a World Cup. The team did not receive the required investment. Instead the FFA opted to spend money on washed up players to come and grace the A-League.

In 2012 Tom Sermanni stepped down as the Matildas coach and was replaced by Dutchwoman Hesterine de Reus. At first glance de Reus looked to be remarkably under qualified for such a role. Then it transpired that her appointment was a result of key individuals on the FFA Board who wanted to see a female in charge of our top Women’s team. Regretably despite having that view, they failed to chose the right person for the job. (No Waltzing With the Matildas)

The players it was reported sent a letter to the FFA requesting that Sermanni’s replacement be chosen on ability rather than gender. Their request fell on deaf ears. Those in power thinking they knew best.

Hesterine de Reus was appointed in December 2012 and was sacked in April 2014. Her sacking came just weeks before the start of the Asian Cup and it was reported that the Matildas was a team “in turmoil.”

Her sacking was the result of a vote of no-confidence by the players followed by a review commissioned by the FFA.

With the Asia Cup just around the corner and a team “in turmoil” the FFA had to act fast to find a replacement. They turned to respected W-League coach Alen Stajcic. It was a wise choice as Stajcic had spent a number of years involved in the Women’s game in Australia and would know all of the players, and they knew him.

Immediately he turned the team around guiding this talented group through to the Asian Cup final where they lost to Japan 1-0. It was a very positive performance.

As is always the case when a new coach is needed the FFA embarked on “an exhaustive process” to find a permanent coach. Finally they decided that Stajcic was the best person for the job. Opting for the best coach, rather than making a decision based on gender.

Stajcic then guided the women through Olympic qualification process and a berth at the Rio Olympics, their first appearance for 12 years. They progressed to the quarter finals where they lost to the hosts Brazil in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. Suddenly the nation started to believe that this team could compete with the best in the world, that this team could medal or win the World Cup. That was the moment that potential turned into reality.

The Matildas climbed to a highest ever FIFA World ranking of four; they are now sixth. Once again they made the final of the Asian Cup, where once again they lost 1-0 to Japan. They also qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World cup.

Importantly they defeated Brazil and drew with the USA in the Tournament of Nations in 2018. Key games to assess how the team was progressing leading up to the World Cup year. They would have been disappointed to lose 0-2 to France, but it was all part of the learning process. Everything looked to be on track. A good performance at the World Cup in France would also help Australia’s bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Then in January of 2019 it all came crashing down. Accusations were hurled at Stajcic, which appeared to many who knew him, to be unfounded. The FFA and their CEO announced, that like de Reus, two reviews had been the cause of Stajcic’s demise. It was all incredibly vague, and a publicity nightmare.

Ante Milicic who had served as Ange Postecoglou’s assistant with the Socceroos stepped into the breach. He had also been the coach of the Men’s under 20 team. At the Asian under 19 Championships he had led the team to the quarter finals, but the team failed to qualify for the Under 20 World Cup.

Like most coaches Milicic came into the role and immediately looked to make his mark. One of the first things he did was to change from a leadership group to one captain. Time will tell whether he was pressured into making star player Sam Kerr captain for the marketing and sponsorship potential it would bring the FFA, or whether this was a decision based on her leadership qualities. It could prove a risky decision as some star players thrive on that extra responsibility, others find it affects their game.

Those who have coached women’s teams often favour a leadership group in a team environment, as they believe they dynamic is very different to men’s teams and that this arrangement has far reaching benefits in the long term.

At the start of May Milicic was given the position on a permanent basis until after the 2020 Olympic Games. It appeared that the FFA was learning. After all CEO David Gallop “explained that feedback from the squad had played a part in the decision to extend Milicic’s tenure with the team.”

Results on the pitch however have sadly not been good with the Matildas having lost their last three games against the USA and the Netherlands twice. What will be a concern is that they have conceded 11 goals in three games. The 3-0 loss to the Netherlands was the Matildas’ harshest loss in four years.

If that wasn’t bad enough for the team to deal with, last week the FFA had to release an apology in relation to the sacking of Alen Stajcic as part of a settlement. It was revealed that he had in fact done nothing wrong. It stated “Alen Stajcic’s contract was not terminated on the basis that he had breached his contract or had engaged in any misconduct.” It appears that no one is still prepared to explain what happened, that he simply fell out of favour with the wrong people. To add petrol to the fire, Board Member Heather Reid had to publish and apology for her comments on social media regarding the sacking, which she stated were “wrong.” None of these people have lost their jobs yet.

For the past eight years the Matildas have battled through adversity. They have struggled to receive the support and investment that their talents warranted, and now when they face what could be their greatest opportunity to shine, they are being destroyed by the administration.

This team under Stajcic genuinely had a chance of going all the way to the final in France. As he said in his one press conference after his sacking “We all dreamed Australia could become World Champions this year and, beyond that, I wanted to play my part in unlocking the potential of the sport in our country.” They had been working together to achieve that.

If Milicic does steer the Matildas to the final and a possible victory there will be many that will claim they he did it on the back of Sjacic’s foundations. If he fails, which he may well, the heat will go back onto the FFA, and so it should.

As for Milicic he is you feel on a hiding to nothing. Here is a someone who has had little or no involvement with Women’s football in his coaching career. When he was appointed many felt that it was an appointment that would set back women’s football, despite him keeping Stajcic’s assistant Gary van Egmond at his side.

The reason for this train of thought is that most elite-level coaches opt for the men’s or women’s side of the game, and the US women’s national team which has been one of the most successful international sides, has traditionally appointed coaches who have specialised in the women’s game. As a result that has been the trend.

Let us hope that the players themselves can pull together just as the Brazilian Men’s side of 1958 did despite the shambles off the pitch, and come home with the World Cup.

Competitive sport is hard and often cruel, expectations from fans are high. Once a team gets to the knockout stage of a tournament, anything can happen. However if this team bows out before the semi finals this time a review should be done into the administration, and not just in relation to the past year, but the past eight years as to how the potential of this talented group of players has been hampered by poor administrative decisions. It is important that future administrators learn from those mistakes and don’t repeat them.