FFA and Farina Agree to Mutual Separation

Football Federation Australia and Frank Farina today announced that they had mutually agreed to end their association.

The decision brings to an end the six-year tenure of Farina as Head Coach of Australia.

“Frank Farina has been a dedicated coach over the past six years who has given his all for Australian football and we wish him well with his future endeavours,” said FFA Chairman Mr Frank Lowy.

“However, it is important to now move on and focus on the World Cup campaign; our responsibility is to do everything possible to ensure that Australia will be competing in Germany in 2006.

“We have said that we would be leaving no stone unturned to qualify for the World Cup.”

FFA has appointed National Technical Manager Ron Smith as Acting Head National Coach and Assistant National Coach Graham Arnold will remain in his current role.

“Ever increasing speculation on my position is not something that I want to see affect the performance of the team and the potential for that happening has led to this announcement,” said Mr Farina.

“We have the players and the backing to get us to the World Cup and no single element of our approach should be allowed to undermine that.”

Australia will play an international against Colombia in August in London ahead of World Cup qualifiers against the Solomon Islands in September. They will then play an international against Jamaica in London in October before the final World Cup qualifying hurdle – a home-and-away series against the fifth-ranked South American nation.