Matildas fallout: ‘we need to win something’ says CEO after Olympic elimination

On the back of their Olympics debacle, James Johnson has opened up on the plans for the Matildas’ ‘evolution’ as the team heads towards hosting a home Asian Cup in less than two years.

The Matildas’ Olympic campaign ended in disappointment

Football Australia chief James Johnson says the Matildas “need to win something” as he opened up on the plans for the team’s “evolution” as it heads towards hosting a home Asian Cup in less than two years.

In a wide-ranging interview Johnson also opened up on repairing Football Australia’s relationship with Matildas captain Sam Kerr and denied too much money had been spent on the Matildas program, while also admitting there had been some criticism of the Matildas program from players.

As the team builds to finally winning its first piece of silverware since 2010, he said captain Kerr – currently recuperating from a knee reconstruction after missing most of last year’s World Cup with a calf injury – was integral to the future hopes for the Matildas as they move on from coach Tony Gustavsson, who was let go after the team was bundled out of the Olympics.

“We have every bit of admiration for Sam; what she’s achieved both for the national team and also at club level. She’s an outstanding football player, Johnson said hen questioned whether Football Australia’s relationship with the superstar star had been strained.

She’s going through some challenges at the moment, particularly around her injury. Once she’s fit, we can’t wait to welcome her back into the team. She’s an outstanding individual.

Football Australia chief James Johnson says the Matildas need Sam Kerr back.

Johnson dismissed talk that the millions of dollars of spending on the Matildas, saying it was integral the team was looked after correctly to help them perform to their highest level - describing them as “a world class team” even if they had been knocked out of the Olympic group stages after losing to the United States 2-1 this week to cop a horror campaign.

Critics have taken aim at the Matildas staffing levels and the charter plane used to shift training gear from a camp in Spain to France for the Olympics, a staff of more than 20 to look after the team - including a chef - and plenty of other perks.

In particular, the jet that flew the Matildas from a pre-Games training camp in Marbella, Spain to Marseille, has drawn the ire of some commentators. It is understood the only other way to get between the two points was a Ryanair flight and the plane Football Australia hired was a small ageing private plane.

“We need to invest in this team. We need to build the program if we want to continue to compete with the likes of the US program or the Japanese,” Johnson said when questioned about Football Australia’s Matildas expenditure.

“The reality is if we don’t invest in the program, and invest heavily, then we’re going to fall behind and further behind. So we have to invest. This team is worth investing in.

He also admitted the Matildas had effectively peaked a year earlier at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, a strategy designed to ensure maximum performance at home but left it exposed to underperforming a year later at the Olympics.

Johnson said following the Matildas’ worst Olympic performance in two decades the organisation will conduct a top to bottom review of its operations and admitted there needs to be some gain from the “pain” that an early Olympics elimination has brought.

“There’ll be a focus on the football side, but also the administration side..did we manage the logistics well, did get the tactics right.

“Sometimes when, whether it’s players or staff or fans…we all feel it, but what we need to do, is we need to squeeze as much learning out of this lemon as possible.

“That’s important because what that does is it allows us to take the program to another level and we’ve seen the levels this program has reached in Tokyo 2021 and also the Women’s World Cup [where Australia placed fourth in both].

“It’s got to a very high level, but we need to use the pain that we’re all feeling right now to really lift it to another level.”

Football Australia CEO James Johnson says there will be a thorough review of the Olympics debacle.

Johnson said the players would be part of the review, as would the coaching staff - including Gustavsson.

He said Gustavsson had been extremely “professional” in conversations after their heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the United States on Wednesday, 10 hours after which it was announced the coach would not be returning as Matildas coach

“If you look at other examples where coaches leave organisations often it’s very messy. This has not been. It has been clean. He’s going to help us with feedback on the program and he’s very happy about the time he has had with us. He’s had some magnificent achievements. And now we move forward in different directions and everyone’s clear on what we’re all up to.”

Some Matildas though have, as The Australian revealed this week, described the Gustavsson era as “four years of hell”, which included the high of reaching a World Cup semi-final on home but also a harrowing experience at the Olympics where the team clearly underperformed.

Gustavsson’s coaching has been questioned both publicly and privately. An injured Kerr apparently took the tactical reins during the World Cup with her teammates often looking to her for direction on the field.

Johnson said there is a “feedback channel” for players to communicate what is humming and what they don’t believe is working during the camps and tournaments in what he described as a “player centric” approach.

“So we see all that data and we know where the challenges perhaps have been and also where things are going very well. And we’ve had to manage that over all the periods. And we’re comfortable with that objective information that’s been consistent over the past four years,” Johnson said.

There have been mixed opinions about the now former Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson.

While he would not be drawn about what the feedback said about Gustavsson, it is understood there have been times when the players have been very positive about the program in general but in other times the feedback has been more challenging for the administrators.”

Johnson praised the under-fire Gustavsson and said the two semi-finals he took was a sign of his talent, especially on the biggest stages of all like the Tokyo Olympics and the World Cup. “He’s overseen this team during arguably the most important time in the history of our sport with hosting the Women’s World Cup, and the legacy for the sport that’s created.”

He believes the next coach would likely need to be more of a development coach rather than a “tournament coach” that Gustavsson was, with some player retirements coming in the next few years that will mean the Matildas – who still boast an impressive spine with goalie Mackenzie Arnold, young defender Clare Hunt, midfielder Kyra Cooney Cross, Mary Fowler and Kerr – will need some rejuvenation.

Johnson said the new coach, who may sign a three or four year deal, will need to balance that with the “need to win something” over the next cycle, with the 2026 Asian Cup in Australia the obvious target.

“There is a home women’s Asian Cup. So naturally, that is going to be a key focus in the next cycle and we’re obviously hosting it and we’re going to want to win that competition.”

Meanwhile, Johnson and Football Australia are on the verge of signing a new record broadcast deal and have clinched commercial deals with big name sponsors like Commonwealth Bank, Lego and Allianz - all thanks to the stunning popularity of the Matildas.

Johnson said winning on the field has helped but drew a comparison to baseball’s Boston Red Sox as a team that has a huge following no matter what results are on the field.

“I think where the Matildas are, is in a new world right? It’s somewhere where not many brands, if any Australian sports, have been.

“Part of that process is once you reach that level,, you need to stay in it. And the brand needs to mature and there’s been a lot of scrutiny around this team. And I think the players are dealing with it tremendously.

“But if we want to be at the very, very top, this brand needs to be able to sustain itself during periods where the team doesn’t do well on the pitch.”

Originally published as Matildas fallout: ‘we need to win something’ says CEO after Olympic elimination