When you visit the Football Federation Australia site and search for a vacant position, you will receive the famous 404 error message. When it comes to visual metaphors, an error message that relates to the destination on the official website of the governing body is nearly perfect, even by the standards of Australian football.
Ante Milicic did not recently fill the website page for that vacant position. Instead, it’s for the national technical director who is regarded as one of the most critical roles in football in any country around the world. Let alone in a glorious nation such as Australia. This is the role that still needs to be filled.
The Absence of National Technical Director
Eric Abrams made his departure in July 2018, and his replacement should have occurred in November of 2018. If a week is considered an eternity when it comes to football, what do 7 months make it? With Alen Stajcic’s dismissal and Milicic’s hire in mind, the absence of an Australian technical director could be conspicuous in a dissertation containing logic.
In the interim, the circumstances that led to the shocking sacking of Stajcic, conditions that will only be able to crystallise in court, also don’t make this point irrelevant or secondary. This essentially ties in with the outlook of the role surrounding the technical director position. Which for Abrams who recently departed, was whittled down to merely overseeing programs in football at the Maribyrnong and Westfield sports schools.
Apart from the Matildas, the Socceroos are also quite relevant to this discussion. In the past year and a half, it must be said that the governing body of Australian football has pushed out and hired brand-new coaches for both these team. Without the vital input of professional organisation. There’s no denying that the professional body is of paramount importance.
It is disregarding the Graham Arnold idea as head coach after Ange Postecoglou. The FFA looked for external consultancy during the hiring process which is a clear sign of just how insignificant the role of Abrams was. This is an instance and task that falls under the role of national technical director as well as head of national performance. It’s a position that was installed by the FFA in 2013. However, it’s a role that is still ignored to this day.
Is Milicic Adequate?
Officials, coaches, and players come and go in the world of football, and now the female national team of Australia needs to move on with Milicic. However, is he adequate?
There have been loads of reports that he lacks experience when it comes to women’s football. Although he has experience in youth football, it still raises plenty of doubt when it comes to his capabilities as a head coach. With no technical director at the helm, it also makes things quite tricky for the teams to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar in a few years.