Socceroos appoint Tony Popovic as new head coach

SYDNEY (AP) — Football Australia has appointed former Asian Champions League winning manager Tony Popovic as the new head coach of the Australian men's team until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

Popovic, 51, replaces Graham Arnold, who stepped down last week after an indifferent start to the Socceroos' World Cup qualification in the Asia zone.

“I am extremely honoured to be given this opportunity to lead the Socceroos as head coach,” Popovic said in a statement on Monday. “It’s a role that comes with great responsibility, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity.

“To be entrusted with guiding our national team is a privilege that I do not take lightly.

Popovic is best known for guiding the Western Sydney Wanderers to the Asian Champions League title in 2014, and has also had successful stints with the Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory in Australia's A-League.

Earlier in his career, Popovic had stints as an assistant at Crystal Palace and coached at clubs in Turkey and Greece.

Popovic, who won 58 caps for Australia as a defender, decided not to renew his contract with the Victory for the upcoming A-League season making his immediate appointment to the Socceroos post possible and timely with vital home World Cup qualifiers against China on Oct. 10, followed by a trip to Japan five days later.

Australia are winless through their first two games of the third stage of qualifiers, after a shock loss to Bahrain at home and a dour 0-0 draw away to Indonesia.

“We have moved swiftly to secure the best possible candidate for this crucial role,” said FA chief executive James Johnson. “Our prompt action reflects our commitment to maintaining the momentum and success of the Socceroos program, especially as we are at the beginning of the critical third round of AFC Asian qualifiers.”

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The Associated Press