Socceroos coach search narrows

But despite the setbacks, FFA technical director Han Berger – one of the five-man selection panel charged with filling the void left by Verbeek’s departure post South Africa – remains confident a new mentor will be in place in time for Australia’s friendly against Slovenia on August 11.

Among the candidates left standing are World Cup coaches Paul Le Guen (Cameroon) and Marcelo Bielsa (Chile), plus a number of unnamed English coaches who have also thrown their hats in the ring.

There is also a joker in the pack with José Pekerman, who coached Argentina to three World Youth Championships, spotted in Sydney prior to the World Cup where he held informal talks with FFA.

Pekerman, who was in charge of the senior Argentina side’s 2006 campaign in Germany where they reached the last eight, has also been linked to the Japan coaching job.

World Cup-winning coach Lippi, 62, was the first to say no when approached soon after the Azzurri’s disastrous campaign in South Africa.

Former Netherlands coach Van Basten, who quit as boss of Ajax a little over a year ago, was the next to decline the offer of continuing the Dutch dominion at the pinnacle of Australian football in the wake of Verbeek and his predecessor Guus Hiddink.

Having already rejected the chance to take charge at AC Milan because of an ongoing ankle condition, he is believed to have cited the same reasons to the Socceroos hierarchy.

The disappointment for Australia’s selection panel - which also consists of FFA CEO Ben Buckley, directors Jack Reilly and Phil Wolanski, and head of national teams John Boultbee – mounted when Klinsmann, who coached Germany to third place in 2006 on home soil, also said ‘Nein’.

Klinsmann has been lined with a plethora of jobs since being sacked by Bayern Munich 15 months ago.

However Berger remained upbeat on Tuesday over the prospect of unveiling a new coach on schedule.

"The normal process is continuing. There has been a lot of speculation but we think the way things are going we are happy with," he told The World Game. "We hope we can conclude it shortly."

Berger would not confirm whether a final decision had been made and would not confirm the extent of the budget on offer.

However it is believed that to attract a coach of Lippi’s calibre, a $5 million price tag would be attached, while somebody of the ilk of Bielsa or La Guen would attract something in the order of $2 million.