Socceroos coach Osieck paying no attention to job rumours

Sydney, Oct 10 (IANS): Holger Osieck, coach of the Australian national football team Socceroos, has not paid attention to the speculation that his job is under threat, local media reported.

Reports suggested that the Football Federation Australia has sounded out potential replacements putting Osieck on notice ahead of Friday’s friendly match against France, Xinhua reported Thursday.

The German football coach told the Australian Associated Press Wednesday that it’s business as usual.

“Nobody has spoken to me and if they (FFA) have ideas like that it would probably be just a matter of fairness at least to have a conversation with me,” Osieck told AAP Wednesday. “But nothing has happened. Therefore I don’t pay any attention to the speculation. I don’t need any distractions.”

Osieck said the friendly match against France is another part of the bigger picture in Brazil 2014.

“Whenever you face a top team it’s always risky, particularly when you play on their home soil,” Osieck said.

“But if I was worried about that, why go there in the first place?”

As Socceroos coach, Osieck got Australia to a third consecutive World Cup finals, but criticism of his reliance on the older players rather than promoting the young talented footballers reached boiling point following the nightmare showing in Brasilia.