Football Australia want Graham Arnold to continue coaching the Socceroos until 2026 after successful World Cup campaign in Qatar

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson will meet with Graham Arnold imminently to offer him a new contract, writes ADAM PEACOCK.

Graham Arnold appears to have sewn up his position as Socceroos‘ head coach for the next World Cup cycle. Picture: Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images

Football Australia want Graham Arnold to lead the Socceroos to the next World Cup.

FA chief executive officer James Johnson told CODE Sports that dialogue with Arnold will take place imminently with a view to locking the coach down until 2026.

“Graham did an outstanding job in this past cycle. He exceeded our expectations,” Johnson said. “He did very well, very happy with him, personally very proud of him. [We have a] great working relationship with him and we’ll be talking to him very soon.”

Arnold has plenty to smile about, having coached Australia through its most successful FIFA World Cup yet. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images for Australia Football

Australia’s 2022 World Cup campaign was nearly railroaded by the pandemic and was brutal on Arnold personally, given the long periods in quarantine and isolation.

He was under pressure to keep his job after World Cup qualification losses against Saudi Arabia and Japan in March, which forced the Socceroos into a playoff. But that pressure was relieved when Australia beat Peru on penalties, then advanced to the Round of 16 at the World Cup for just the second time after wins against Tunisia and Denmark.

The unity within squad, as much as the results, did not go unnoticed by the FA.

Johnson said FA’s intention had always been to complete this World Cup cycle and conduct a comprehensive review of the four-year cycle before speaking with Arnold.

“Graham will be part of the review that we’re doing,” Johnson said. “His contract has come to an end and that’s something we’ll be talking to Graham about in the coming weeks.”

Johnson (R) sees Arnold in the head coach post for years to come. Picture: Glenn Hunt/Getty Images

With rumours swirling that John Aloisi and Kevin Muscat are in the frame for the Socceroos coaching job, Johnson said he had not spoken to anyone else about the position.

“I’ve had no other discussion with any other candidates,” Johnson said. “There’s never been a need to speak to any other candidates. That’s still the case today and we won’t be speaking to any other candidates before we’ve spoken to Graham and we’ll be speaking with him very soon.”

Arnold is in England with his wife on a holiday while his agent, Tony Rallis, is in Australia and expected to continue talks in the coming weeks.

Arnold is enjoying some downtime after an extensive camp in Qatar. Picture: Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images

Johnson said the reason Arnold wasn’t re-signed immediately was a deliberate move by FA to steer away from making big decisions without a proper process in place, especially after major tournaments.

“We’re talking about a four-year cycle, and we’re talking two days after the World Cup,” he said. “If you’re at the German FA, Japanese FA, or at Man City, Juventus, Bayern Munich this is how things work.

“We are not going to have a knee-jerk reaction, we have a four-year goal in mind … and we’re going to make the best decision that we can for this team over the next four years.

“As we’ve seen at this World Cup, we’ve got a lot of good young players coming through, so what’s important is not rushing decisions. It’s getting the right decisions.

“We’ve told Graham we’ll be talking to him about his contribution to the last cycle, and talk to him about his leanings over that cycle. [We are] also going to have a discussion with him about what lies ahead for the Socceroos and Arnie. Something we’ll be doing very soon.”

Arnold has focused on developing young talent like Harry Souttar through his tenure as head coach. Picture: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Should Arnold continue with the Socceroos, he will not have the additional workload of taking charge of the Olympic team, with Socceroos assistant Tony Vidmar locked in to lead the Olyroos through qualifying for Paris 2024.

The Socceroos job will include a remit to work closely with the junior national teams, however, to continue the success of this cycle which saw nine Tokyo Olympians - including Kye Rowles, Harry Souttar and Keanu Baccus - transition seamlessly into the Socceroos set up.

Johnson said this World Cup had helped reshape how the Socceroos are viewed both home and abroad.

“Our expectation is of the national teams to get beyond the group stage,” Johnson said.

“That’s what being a global player in world football means. Not just qualifying. It’s not the benchmark anymore.”

The Socceroos celebrate their win over Denmark, the first time the team has won successive matches at the World Cup. Picture: Claudio Villa/Getty Images

While in Doha, Johnson found Australian football was very much on the global map, with figures from FIFA and UEFA impressed with the direction the sport is heading down under.

“People love looking at us having the muscle and clout to bring the Women’s World Cup to Australia,” he said. “Clubs like Manchester United have come, too. Money trickling into the sport from global brands. Now they see the Socceroos perform on the global stage.

“It’s really sent a message around the world that we should be taken seriously.”

Johnson said he will continue dialogue with the federal government to address what FA views as a funding imbalance for the Socceroos.

“Although we have a lot of legacy money coming in, we don’t get one dollar for the Socceroos from the Australian Sports Commission,” Johnson continued. “And I think that’s something we need to improve on, and we need more investment from the Sports Commission if this program is going to grow. It’s vital.”

Football Australia would like to see more funding through the ASC to help development of the sport, including for the Olyroos (pictured). Picture: Masashi Hara/Getty Images

Football in Australia remains a complex financial beast, with those at the bottom of the pyramid - namely parents of young players at grassroots ($300-$500) and elite youth level ($1,500-$2,500) - paying yearly fees well beyond what kids in AFL, rugby league and cricket are charged.

It is Johnson’s intention to ensure there is a trickle-down effect with revenue to ease the burden.

“We now find ourselves three years later in arguably the healthiest position Football Australia has ever been in,” he said. “The next evolution of our economic growth is to go beyond Football Australia‘s financial health and grow our economies, so we can generate more revenues and distribute more revenues to our member federations [the states].

“That will be a close focus of Football Australia over the next 12-to-24 months. That’s where we need to land: a top-down funding model.”

Johnson and FA’s attention now turns to the women’s World Cup in 2023. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images for Football Australia

Johnson also revealed FA will be targeting the biggest teams in the world to travel to Australia in 2023, with games to be hosted in March, June, September and October.

“Rest assured, we will be looking to bring top opposition to Australia to play the Socceroos,” he said. “That’s on the radar, we have the connections and that’s something that will be a priority in the coming weeks.

“We need to be playing in Australia more often, against higher opposition. We did that with the Matildas over the last 18 months with Sweden, Canada, the US and Brazil coming.

“It builds the brand off the pitch, and hardens the team on the pitch.

“It’s got to be normal to compete and play against top global opposition, and eventually beat them.”