Matildas will take time with permanent coach, open to interim against Germany
Insistent the federation won't be rushed with a permanent appointment, Football Australia chief James Johnson hasn't ruled out the Matildas being led by an interim in the October international window
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson has not ruled out the Matildas being led by an interim coach in their coming friendly against Germany, insisting that time is on the federation’s side as it seeks a permanent boss.
Led by members of its board’s football development committee, Football Australia has been seeking a new mentor for Australia’s women since it parted ways with Tony Gustavsson following the conclusion of an Olympics campaign that saw the side crash out in the group stages.
With the Matildas not set to be back in action until October, Johnson had previously talked down the likelihood of an interim needing to take charge of the side. However, speaking on Wednesday – just hours before confirmation Australia would take on Germany in Duisburg on October 28 – he said the federation wouldn’t treat that fixture as a self-imposed deadline.
“We're monitoring the market,” said Johnson. “And we're talking to a number of coaches at the moment.
“The focus right now is heading into the next window for the Matildas... if we don't have a coach by that point, we'll, of course, need to appoint an interim coach.
“But time is on our side. Our next competitive match isn't until the women's Asian Cup in 2026, so when it comes to Matildas’ coach, it's about getting the right coach, as opposed to trying to rush a decision through.”
As an assistant to Gustavsson whose tenure with the side predated the Swede’s, Melissa Andreatta ostensibly would loom as the most likely interim coach should one be needed but Johnson wouldn’t be drawn when that was put to him.
“I'm not ready to answer that question right now,” he said. “But we will appoint an interim in the event that we don't have a coach for the next window.”
Former San Diego Wave coach Casey Stoney has been an oft-mentioned international candidate for the vacant position, while Andreatta, Young Matildas coach Leah Blayney, Sydney FC boss Ante Juric and Shanghai Port men’s assistant and one-time Adelaide United women coach Ross Aloisi lead the domestic options being raised.
On Wednesday evening, Japanese boss Futoshi Ikeda also entered the free agent market after resigning his post with the Nadeshiko.
Though remaining coy on any kind of shortlist for the role, Johnson, who was in Melbourne to announce the Socceroos will host a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia at AAMI Park in November, said the federation was “well into the process,” and that the Matildas’ post was a hot property on the international market.
“[Football Australia has been getting] calls, emails, LinkedIn… It's a very popular position in world football!” said the executive.
“There's a lot of interest in this role, and we’ve just got to sift through the people that are available and make sure that that person can deliver on what we want this team to do.”
In previous interviews, Johnson has detailed that the two primary remits of a new coach will be to succeed at the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup that will be hosted in Australia and to usher in a period of squad rejuvenation as its current Golden Generation increasingly finds itself on the wrong side of 30.
Helping to inform this process will be an in-depth review of both the just-concluded Olympics campaign as well as the four-year tenure of Gustavsson where there were highs – a semifinal appearance at a home World Cup and Tokyo Olympics as well as a surge of debuts – but also lows – disastrous Asian Cup and Paris Olympic performances and a maddening inability to integrate fresh faces in a manner that saw them contribute at major tournaments.
“The review is underway, and it's systematic now,” said Johnson. “Every time we finish any window we do a review. This is obviously [also] a campaign, so we look at the campaign in full.
“That review is in full swing, and the lessons that have come out of that review will be implemented to ensure that we continue to grow the program and improve it every time we get a chance
“We’re in dialogue with the players and that's healthy. We are a player-centric organisation, and we want to make sure that we've got different touchpoints with the players.
“That's important for us. It's a culture that we want. Ultimately, when it comes to decisions of Football Australia, they sit with the Federation – but those decisions are taken knowing how the players feel about certain issues