Football Ferns coaching saga not the only distraction as Macey Fraser leaves squad
Thursday, 30 May 2024
Michael Mayne didn’t know he was the interim head coach until he landed in Spain.
Two days later, star midfielder Macey Fraser left the squad for personal reasons.
The Football Ferns’ Olympic squad will be named after the Japan matches but Mayne doesn’t know how long he will be in charge for.
Interim Football Ferns coach Michael Mayne has revealed he was only given the shock news he would be in charge when he landed in Spain.
With dark clouds of uncertainty hovering over the coaching situation, due to Sunday’s shock announcement that head coach Jitka Klimková was not going to lead her side in the two friendlies against Japan in Spain, Mayne has been thrust into the hot seat.
And in another dilemma for Mayne and the Football Ferns, star midfielder Macey Fraser has returned to the US for personal reasons after being with the squad in Spain for a couple of days.
Exactly when the Klimková situation came to a head is unknown, with New Zealand Football maintaining its cone of silence on the matter.
It remains unclear if Klimková, who is contracted until the end of the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil, actually travelled to Spain.
She named her squad for the Japan games on May 21 and the team departed New Zealand on May 23.
Mayne, who was an assistant under Klimková, does not have American assistant Keri Sarver, Klimková’s usual right-hand woman, with him on the tour either.
Before he undertook his first media briefing, on Thursday, NZF reiterated its position that it would not be making any comment on the Klimková situation.
“There’s potential to be overwhelmed by the situation but I actually really haven’t had time to be, it’s just making sure the staff and players are in the best position they can be,” Mayne said on Thursday.
“The situation, I don’t think it’s one where we can avoid what’s going on but I think the players are handling themselves extremely well given the circumstances.”
Mayne, who has former Wellington Phoenix coach Natalie Lawrence with him in Spain as an assistant, said he was trying to focus on his players, the football and what he can control but that must be a difficult task.
Just two months out from the Olympics, Mayne has no idea how long he is in charge for. All he knows currently, is that he’s the interim head coach for the two matches against Japan.
“Following the tour we’ll come out and look at things and we’ll work through it but I haven’t even entertained those discussions at all,” he said of the future beyond the next ten days.
Mayne was briefed by NZF, with what information could be shared with him around the Klimková saga, on his arrival in Spain and then sat down with his players to deliver the news and get them on board before taking on the seventh ranked team in the world.
Given the dramatic upheaval, Mayne is happy with how his players have responded.
“They’re professional players, focussing on the football is the easy thing for us.
“All things considered, we’ve got into our work pretty quickly.”
The two matches against Japan are the last games for the Football Ferns before the Olympics squad is selected, less than ideal when nobody knows, at this moment, who will be selecting the squad.
Mayne couldn’t elaborate on the reasons why Fraser decided to leave the tour after just a couple of days but he did not believe they would prevent her from being available for Olympic selection.
Despite the obvious distractions, Mayne is confident his side can pull together against the powerhouse side that is Japan.
“Myself and the players, the goal is always to go out and perform and get results so that hasn’t changed.
“I need to get clarity of where this team is at (ahead of the Olympics) and there’s not better opposition than Japan right now to prepare us for that.
The Football Ferns play the first of two matches against Japan at Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia, on Spain's southern coast, on Friday local time (Saturday 2am NZ time). They then meet again on Monday (Tuesday 2am NZ time).