Western Sydney Wanderers boss Tony Popovic has sensationally quit the team to take up a job at Karabukspor in Turkey just a week before the new A-League season begins.
It was reported on Sunday by theDaily Telegraph the Popovic had resigned his position at the club that morning, and the Wanderers confirmed this in a press conference later in the afternoon.
Popovic has coached the Wanderers for all five seasons of their existence with his remarkable achievements in that time including a premiership in their first season 2012-13 and victory in the AFC Champions League the next year.
The Wanderers also went to the grand final three times under Popovic’s tenure but were never able to convert that into a championship win.
He has reportedly knocked back a number of offers from teams around the globe but will now move to a team that finds themselves third from the bottom of the Turkish Supa Liga with just one win from seven matches this year.
The Wanderers will now find themselves plunged into chaos without a head coach just seven days before their first game of the 2017-18 A-League season, to be played at home against Perth Glory next Sunday.
They’ll undertake a search for his replacement beginning immediately.
“Our members can be assured we will be taking the time to consider the right candidates for this role to ensure the work we have done leading into this season is not disrupted and the right manager is appointed to continue our journey in becoming the best sporting organisation in Australia,” said Wanderers CEO Tsatsimas.
“We have a robust organisation that can handle anything thrown at us, on and off the field, led from the Board of Directors down to the club, so we will once again exhibit our resilience in the coming weeks.
“While we can’t hide the fact that the timing is not ideal, I can assure our members, our fans and the Australian football community that we will not take a step backwards in our pursuit of the title this season and we will be ready for Round 1 on Sunday.”
Fadida
Guest
Self preservation. If they are all employed then the Jets can't hire them :)
Post_hoc
Guest
No need to be nasty like that, why would you be so cruel ?
Fadida
Guest
I would like to suggest a coaching team of; Tony Walsmley Phil Stubbins Mark Jones But then I don't support WSW :)
Marco
Guest
Sure its been coming - but disgraceful behaviour on his part. The season starts next week, he's supposed love of WSW means nothing now.
RBBAnonymous
Guest
Now your taking the piss
Midfielder
Guest
1 Kossie 2 Fraina 3 Moss
Waz
Guest
Me too. Especially because he can't coach lol. Would make Walmsley look competent
Waz
Guest
I will give you "fanbassadors" ... if we needed one more reason to be normalised, there it is ?
saul
Guest
I would love to see that
bobbym
Guest
The Wanderers is about the culture they have built not the coach the culture lives.
bobbym
Guest
you obliviously work for Trump.
Nick Symonds
Guest
Well the Wanderers could find a good coach, the Socceroos could qualify and FFA could sort itself out and win hosting rights to the Women's World Cup so things could still turn around for the better. But "fanbassadors"...
Stevo
Roar Rookie
"it's not ideal" bwahahahaha
Fadida
Guest
You can't blame Popovic for wanting to challenge himself but it's probably not the best move. Rescuing a club from relegation requires a short term strategy, Poppa is better at the long game. He'll be lucky to last half a season
Micko
Guest
How about Bosnich. He has a fair bit to say lets see if he can coach.
Mel
Guest
No Ian crook he is hopless
saul
Guest
I doubt it, Oh you're being sarcastic!!!!! Well Duh
Nemesis
Guest
Fair enough. I must only see those clueless fans on social media. I've only ever seen negative stuff about Popovic in the past couple of years. As an outsider, I enjoyed watching his team in 2012/13 season & 2015/16. Not so much in the other years.
Waz
Guest
Nick, you don't want to mention ..... that memberships at 6 out of 10 clubs are ahead of the same time last year? or that the Matildas are knocking it out of the park on and off the field? Or the quality of visa players signed looks to be the best ever? Not to mention the quality of new coaches that have arrived along with the emergence of a couple of young Aussie coaches? or maybe the absence of any club in crisis this year was worth mentioning? Or the new record participation rates? or a number of Socceroos performing well in international leagues? There's just so much good stuff mate .. If this is a bad year then let's have a few more; there's plenty of room for improvement of course, but the codes doing good and will get better st it when either Lowy concedes the game is up and compromises, or FIFA force common sense on us - don't care which
RBBAnonymous
Guest
Huh, what are you on about. The majority of fans have been more than satisfied with Popovic as a coach. Only a small percentage of clueless fans wanted him gone.