Under-fire Melbourne Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic has moved to put aside doubts about who is actually running the A-League club, declaring: “I am the boss”.
With the Victory board believed to be divided as to whether he should continue amid an indifferent start to the season, Durakovic has found himself under siege after a tumultuous week at the club.
Football manager Francis Awaritefe was sacked, while the club’s hierarchy has rubber-stamped star Harry Kewell’s decision to appoint his own personal coach – ex-Argentine World Cup star Abel Balbo.
But Durakovic has moved to quell mutterings about his position, saying he is in charge of football matters and his assistants – Kevin Muscat and Steve Mautone – answer to him.
“At the end of the day, I call the shots here – I’m the boss,” a defiant Durakovic said on Friday.
“The structure that I’ve put in place is still there, the players take directions from me.
“I’ve got the full support of the players, the board, the coaching staff.
“There is pressure, no doubt about that.
“But I’m big enough to cop it on the chin.
“We just have to work really really hard on the pitch and get the three points we desperately need.”
Victory will need to produce a big performance against Gold Coast United at AAMI Park on Sunday for Durakovic to ease the pressure.
But Kewell is set to play in the must-win clash after training strongly on Friday to prove he is over a hamstring injury which sidelined him last weekend.
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