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Frank, this is Frank. To be frank, it's goodbye
By John Huxley and Jacqueline Maley
June 30, 2005
Even by the crazy standards of Australian soccer - sorry, football - it was an extraordinary day of mishap, machination and mayhem, culminating in the shock announcement that national coach Frank Farina had quit after six years.
The decision throws Australia's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup finals in Germany next year into disarray, though officials strenuously denied it last night.
"The word is totally inappropriate and offensive," insisted Frank Lowy, chairman of Football Federation Australia. As a worldwide search began for a supercoach, Lowy admitted that, frankly, he would have preferred Farina departed earlier.
"We are all one - working towards a common aim," said Lowy, appearing at a Sydney news conference via Frankfurt, a ghostly figure on a video screen.
Beneath the screen, the FFA's chief executive, John O'Neill, insisted Farina's departure - just weeks before critical World Cup qualifying games - was by mutual consent, with his contract honoured. "It's [just] that its termination date has been brought forward."
Farina, though, was nowhere to be seen at Lowy's Westfield headquarters in Sydney.
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Advertisement"There was no need for him to be there," said Lowy, Australia's second-richest man. He denied the timing was disastrous, but conceded: "If the change, if any, would have happened 12 months ago I think we would have been better off. But given the history of football, things happen when they happen."
Farina arrived at his Sylvania Waters home at 7.30 last night, brandishing a bottle of Moet champagne. He seemed relaxed but declined to comment on whether he left willingly, before giving reporters the thumbs-up.
Earlier, in a statement with the FFA, Farina acknowledged his position had been in some doubt, especially since the Confederation Cup, where the Socceroos lost all three games and finished last of the eight competing teams. "Ever-increasing speculation on my position is not something that I want to see affect the performance of my team, and the potential for that has led to this announcement."
So many Franks, so much confusion, despite reassurances from Lowy, who was in Germany to persuade football's international bigwigs that Australia had the strength to be moved from Oceania to the stronger Asia region. Late last night came the news that he had succeeded - and this is expected to make the Socceroos' path to the 2010 World Cup much smoother.
But as if losing a national coach was not bad enough, a day of own goals had begun with the non-appearance of former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke, the million-dollar-a-year man chosen by Sydney FC to spark their first campaign in the new domestic football A-League season. Reportedly, he missed his plane in Dubai and will arrive later today.
Sudden death ... John O'Neill and Frank Lowy, via video link, deliver the news.
Photo:Tim Clayton
Farina, a passionate character, recently clashed with an SBS interviewer. O'Neill later suggested Farina receive counselling, prompting rumours of a rift between them and of growing disaffection among the squad of players, most based in Europe. The rumours were met with denials all round.
Last night, the FFA appointed English-born Ron Smith, who is currently national technical manager, as acting head coach.
Pre-empting, perhaps, scurrilous suggestions that officials already had a new European coach lined up, Lowy said they had a few people in mind, but no one specific. A comeback by Farina's predecessor, Englishman Terry Venables, was ruled out.
But the FFA has made no secret of the fact that it has been consulting international coaches, including former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier.
"The only deadline is to get the right coach," Lowy said.
But with the first of three World Cup qualifying games coming up in September and the latest in a long line of "new dawns" for domestic football scheduled for August, the FFA needs to score a goal. Quickly.
Two weeks ago, Farina was told at a media conference that one of his former clubs, the Belgian team Club Brugge, was looking for a coach. He responded: "Soon, Australia might be looking for one, too."
The room erupted in laughter before Farina turned to one camera and said purposefully, "That was a joke, right?" Wrong. |
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