Comment: The witch hunt over dumped Matildas coach Alen Stajcic has gone too far

Alen Stajcic repaired the fractures within the Matildas, took them to the Asian Cup final twice and has won respect internationally. Which is why Val Migliaccio can’t understand why his character is being assassinated.

Dumped Australia head coach Alen Stajcic. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

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Alen Stajcic is a man I have respected and admired from the moment I met him for the first time in Vietnam just before his “screen test” for the Matildas gig.

I have been lucky enough to cover every major soccer tournament for News Corp Australia that featured the Matildas from 2014 when Stajcic took charge.

I have worked with Stajcic during two Asian Cups — Vietnam and Jordan last year — and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015 — about 60 days worth of tournaments.

Since Football Federation Australia announced on Saturday Stajcic had been sacked, just five months before the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, few have spared much thought on how this man and his beautiful young family must be coping.

Brenda and Alen Stajcic at the 2018 Dolan Warren Awards held at The Star in Pyrmont. Picture: Christian Gilles

His character has been totally assassinated. For what? Nothing is clear.

The witch hunt has gone too far.

Now Nine media reports parents of the Asian Cup squad that went to Jordan insinuated Stajcic didn’t care for the welfare of their daughters.

Enough is enough, this has infuriated me. Even more so than the initial shock of Stajcic getting the flick.

I spent about 25 days in Jordan and saw Stajcic daily.

Some conversations were about work, others weren’t and others were just about life.

I cannot say one bad word about Stajcic.

I also spoke to many parents of the players, had dinner with some, shared a drink with others and coffee too.

Stajcic’s demeanour was never attacked by these level-headed parents.

Sure I heard conversations about why their daughters should be playing ahead of player X or his tactics but nothing more, it was typical game talk — a difference of opinion and nothing else.

His tournament debut was more than very uncomfortable in May 2014.

I remember it vividly at Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City — a venue where the Socceroos played to the sounds of distant artillery guns firing during the Vietnam War in 1967.

His international football debut couldn’t have been more confronting.

Sacked Matildas coach Hesterine De Reus was working for the Asian Football Confederation in an official capacity just weeks after the Matildas threatened mutiny if they kept the Dutch woman in charge.

She was one of the first people Stajcic saw when he led his team from the tunnel to the pitch in the opening game which featured Jordan.

The Matildas could have fallen apart in that instance but no they didn’t and that’s largely down to Stajcic’s mentoring.

He repaired the fractures within the group, took the Matildas to the Asian Cup final (twice) and earned a long contract that year.

I still cannot comprehend why some folk are out to annihilate the man.

Follow @ValMigliaccio