Tony Popovic set to be confirmed as new Socceroos coach

Tony Popovic has won the race to become the next coach of the Socceroos, with his appointment set to be officially confirmed by Football Australia as early as Monday.

Less than three days after Graham Arnold’s decision to step down from the job was publicised, the federation has reached an agreement with the former Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory boss, according to multiple sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the negotiations. Football Australia declined to comment.

Tony Popovic is set to become the next coach of the Socceroos.Credit: Getty

Capped 58 times for Australia as a player, Popovic has emerged during the past decade as one of Australia’s top coaches, with his signature achievement being the Wanderers’ AFC Champions League triumph in 2014.

He also won the A-League premiership with the Wanderers in 2012-13, the Glory in 2018-19, and the Australia Cup with Victory in 2021, guiding all three teams to grand final defeats. In between, Popovic spent time at second-tier Greek outfit Xanthi FC – who were owned by Greek-Australian alleged fraudster Bill Papas –   and, before that, Turkish Süper Lig club Karabükspor, where his contract was terminated after just nine games.

Popovic’s deal with Victory wasn’t renewed at the end of last season, and he was reportedly a contender to take over at Croatian giants Hadjuk Split, but was overlooked for Italian great Gennaro Gattuso.

While he has since relocated his family back to Europe, his status as a free agent and as someone with in-depth knowledge of the Australian game and the current crop of Socceroos players made him the frontrunner for the job from the moment Arnold’s exit occurred, and FA board and management support for Popovic was clear from the outset of the process. He is expected to sign a two-year deal through to the end of the 2026 World Cup, to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Tony Popovic celebrates the Wanderers’ 2014 AFC Champions League win.Credit: AP

Popovic shaped as probably the best immediate option, in terms of his style and approach perfectly suiting the team’s short-term needs and circumstances; the Socceroos face China at Adelaide Oval on October 10 and then Japan away five days later, requiring at least three points from the window to keep alive hopes of direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup from Group C in Asia’s third round. However, he is not known for the more expansive approach some believe the Socceroos need to pivot towards for the longer term.

He will get to work immediately, with FA needing to submit a long-list of players to the AFC this week, from which a squad for next month’s qualifiers will need to be drawn from.

Other names speculated as possible candidates included former Central Coast Mariners boss Nick Montgomery, who is now an assistant to Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, FC Tokyo coach Peter Cklamovski, who spent more than a decade by Postecoglou’s side, and Western United’s John Aloisi, who had been floated as a possibility had Arnold not been re-signed after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Another who threw his hat in the ring – albeit too late to be seriously considered by FA – was Carlos Queiroz. Multiple sources told this masthead that Queiroz, who coached Iran for almost a decade across two separate stints and most recently was at the helm of Qatar, held a strong interest in becoming Socceroos manager and, due to his involvement in Asian football, would have possessed stronger knowledge of Australia’s playing stocks compared to any other foreign option.

Popovic was first mentioned as a possible Socceroos coach back in 2013, when the then-Football Federation Australia sacked Holger Osieck after twin 6-0 friendly defeats to Brazil and France. He, Arnold and Postecoglou were touted as the three main contenders; now, finally, Popovic will get his turn after the other two.

Postecoglou was asked about Arnold’s decision to step down at his pre-match press conference in London over the weekend, before the 3-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday night (AEST) which has relieved some of the building pressure on the Spurs boss.

“I am not really close to it, but he has had a really great stint as national team boss,” Postecoglou said. “He took them to the World Cup, got the best ever result at a World Cup. For anyone when you manage your national team, it is a proud moment and I am sure he is proud of his achievements, but like all of us, he passes on the baton now to hopefully somebody who can take the nation forward.”

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