Stajcic finding it 'tough' watching Women's World Cup, says Sermanni

Watching the FIFA Women's World Cup has been tough for Alen Stajcic, New Zealand Football Ferns coach and two-time former Matildas coach Tom Sermanni says of his friend and former colleague.

Alen Stajcic Tom Sermanni

Alen Stajcic and Tom Sermanni Source: Twitter @SportsWizardR

Sermanni expressed his disappointment with the way Football Federation Australia’s has handled Stajcic’s dismissal, saying he had "good connections with all of the moving parts of that situation."

Speaking to The World Game as part of , Sermani said he has been in regular contact with Stajcic.

“I don’t think anyone could have anticipated the impact,” Sermanni said.

“I don’t want to talk about the mechanics of it because my focus now is with New Zealand.

“But I can say openly that I was very disappointed with what happened, and the process – or lack of – with what happened.”

Stajcic was fired in January, with concerns about the culture within the national team cited after two confidential workplace surveys.

Rumours about the exact reasons for the termination circulated, fuelled by Football Federation Australia board member Heather Reid – who told the Sydney Morning Herald that “if people knew the actual facts, they would be shocked.”

Just a week before the Women’s World Cup began in France, the FFA settled with Stajcic and announced that his termination was not due to any misconduct but purely for football reasons.

The settlement is believed to have involved the payment of a six-figure sum, in addition to the nine months’ salary paid upon termination.

At the same time Reid issued a statement, apologising “unreservedly for the damage, distress and hurt that I have caused.”

“Staj was part of the system,” Sermanni, who coached the Matildas from 1994 to 1996 and 2005 to 2012, told The World Game.

“He came away with my senior team often, he was my U20 coach, my U17 coach, so I have had a close connection with him for many years. He was doing a fantastic job with the Matildas.”

Given Sermanni’s long-term involvement with women’s football in Australia, the 64-year-old found himself in a challenging situation when Stajcic was dismissed.

“That was the difficult bit,” he said.

“I had connections, good connections, with all of the moving parts of that situation.

“I’m very close with Heather. Heather has done an enormous amount for women’s football.”
Sermanni said that he has spoken frequently with Stajcic in recent months.

“He is doing okay.”

“But it can get tough [with Stajcic watching the World Cup from afar],” Sermanni said.

“When you are in the coaching game you expect – whether it is an injustice or not – that these things happen. It is part of life.

“So as a coach you have to be ready to move on. But when it became so visible – and some of the things that were said were patently untrue – that takes a really big toll on your family and those around you.

“They are not used to being in the spotlight,” said Sermanni. “It was really tough on his family."

Sermanni hailed the resilience of the Matildas squad in France, the majority of whom he coached during his second stint with the national team, and their handling of the coaching saga.

“Fortunately, the players have turned things around and it has not impacted them as much as it might have,” he said.

Sermanni's New Zealand concluded their Women's World Cup campaign against Cameroon on Friday morning (AEST) after a 95th-minute goal saw them lose 2-1 and finish last in Group E.

Kieran Pender is covering the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup for The World Game. Follow him on Twitter: @KieranPender


Share
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service. Read more about Sport
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow SBS Sport
4 min read
Published 22 June 2019 10:58am
By Kieran Pender


Share this with family and friends