Postecoglou stays quiet on his future after Australia qualifies to World Cup

Austrailian players celebrate victory. (AFP)

LONDON: An emotional Ange Postecoglou hailed Australia’s qualification for next year’s World Cup finals as a “fantastic achievement” but would not confirm whether he would lead the squad to Russia.
Captain Mile Jedinak led the way with a second-half hat-trick as Australia brushed aside Honduras 3-1 in the second leg of their intercontinental playoff in Sydney to secure a place at next summer’s showpiece.
The Socceroos went into the clash on the back of a hard-fought 0-0 draw in San Pedro Sula confident they could book their spot in Russia.
But no sooner had they done so than attention turned to whether the mastermind behind the qualification would actually be there to lead them in the tournament.
The 52-year-old coach has passed up plenty of opportunities over the past month to rebut a media report that he was planning to step down from the job regardless of whether the side beat the Central Americans.
But the party mood following the final whistle did little to prompt Postecoglou to clarify his position either way.
“Right now, it’s about enjoying the moment,” he said.
“I owe it to myself, and to my family, my friends. While I’ve got a thick skin, they’ve had to cop what I’ve been copping. It’s unfair on them.
“Tonight is just about enjoying it. Hopefully seeing their smiling faces. What happens beyond here can be picked up tomorrow.
“I’ll sit down with the powers that be. Obviously it’s important that the planning goes ahead. The draw’s not too far away. It won’t take too long. But I‘m going to make sure I enjoy this one first.”
Postecoglou took over less than a year before the last World Cup and led Australia in a creditable campaign in Brazil followed by an Asian Cup triumph on home soil early in 2015.
The former Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory coach came under fire for his switch to a three-man defense when the campaign to reach Russia faltered, however.
The criticism intensified when Australia missed out on automatic qualification and they needed to beat Syria in an Asian playoff before taking on Honduras, racking up an unprecedented number of matches in a qualifying campaign.
“We did it the hard way, it’s been 22 hard games,” he added.
“Just seeing them in the dressing room now, it’s unreal. They’re happy, mate. They got what they deserved. It wasn’t by luck or by chance.
“They believed in something that we started, and right to the end they displayed the kind of resilience and belief that has made me proud all the way along.”