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Aaron Gillions/PHOTOSPORT
The All Whites celebrate a goal during their win over China in Wellington in March under interim coach Darren Bazeley, who is set to go again as a caretaker in June.
ANALYSIS: New Zealand Football might yet have a permanent All Whites coach in place by the end of May – the latest in a growing list of target time frames chief executive Andrew Pragnell has stated publicly.
But with the June international window now less than a month away, Darren Bazeley is set to take on a caretaker role for the second time this year, even if a full-time appointment is made before it.
Former Japanese international Keisuke Honda declared his interest in the job on Twitter on Saturday, but whether he is actually in contention for the position remains to be seen.
All signs are pointing to under-20 men’s coach Bazeley being the interim All Whites coach for matches against Sweden on June 17 [NZ time] and a yet-to-be announced opponent a few days later.
Bazeley previously took on the role in March, overseeing a 0-0 draw with China in Auckland, where the All Whites were reduced to 10 men for the final half hour, and a 2-1 win over China in Wellington.
With an official announcement understood to be imminent, Bazeley’s immediate focus is the Fifa Under-20 World Cup, where New Zealand have been drawn with Guatemala, Uzbekistan and hosts Argentina and have three group matches in the space of seven days from next Sunday [NZ time].
The All Whites’ match against Sweden in Stockholm will come days before their hosts take on Austria in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier and will effectively be a free hit.
Their second fixture is likely to be more winnable, as it is believed to be against a team ranked outside the top 50 in the world by Fifa, but while Jordan had previously announced a match against New Zealand in Austria in June, it is understood it won’t be against them.
Chris Wood is expected to miss both fixtures, as he recovers from surgery on the injury he suffered to his right thigh while taking a penalty at the end of a training session during the last international window.
DAVID WHITE/STUFF
An event marking 100 days to go until the start of the Fifa Women’s World Cup was held on April 11, 2023.
When Wood was ruled out for the rest of the English Premier League season by his Nottingham Forest boss, Steve Cooper, the prognosis was that he would be out beyond the June window: “It will be middle of pre-season, if we’re lucky, not the start. If it all goes well then we’re looking at mid-July”.
Pragnell initially hoped to complete the All Whites coach search by Christmas last year, after the role became vacant in mid-October, following a review of the unsuccessful 2022 World Cup campaign under Danny Hay.
Bazeley was appointed on an interim basis for March at the start of February, with Pragnell saying at the time that NZ Football had a preferred candidate – later reported by Stuff and others to be Canada coach John Herdman – who was not yet able to take up the job and would be revisited after the China matches.
While Herdman swiftly said he had rejected a job offer from NZ Football and reaffirmed his existing commitments, Canada Soccer has been embroiled in turmoil in 2023, which would explain why he might have been looking elsewhere.
As Herdman became the frontrunner at the start of this year, another shortlisted candidate, former under-20 and under-23 coach Des Buckingham, signed a two-year contract extension with his Indian Super League club, Mumbai City. That would not be an insurmountable obstacle if he and NZ Football chose to re-engage and Herdman’s public rejection may well have given them a reason to.
Recently departed Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay made it clear he was no longer interested once he missed out, though he is currently without a job. Scottish under-21 coach Scot Gemmill’s presence on the shortlist has generated the least noise of all the candidates and it’s unclear whether he is still in the frame.
Bazeley was also on the five-strong shortlist and while he might not have been NZ Football’s first choice or even its second, he is now set to get another go and a chance to build on a solid first showing in March.
If he seizes the opportunity – in the final month of his contract with the governing body – that might be what finally brings the coach search to a definitive end, provided it doesn’t reach a conclusion beforehand.
Honda’s Saturday tweets – where he said he was “interested in Oman, NZ, UAE, Thailand and some other countries” ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup “as a coach” – were a curious new development.
The 98-cap international had been working with Cambodia’s national men’s team since 2018, but finished up in that role earlier this month and has little in the way of other experience.
New Zealand U-20 men – Fifa U-20 World Cup
Sunday, May 21, 6am: v Guatemala; Estadio Único Santiago del Estero
Wednesday, May 24, 6am: v Uzbekistan; Estadio Único Santiago del Estero
Saturday, May 27, 9am: v Argentina; Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario
All Whites – June international window
Saturday, June 17, 5am: v Sweden; Friends Arena, Stockholm
Tuesday, June 20/Wednesday, June 21: Second match (to be announced)
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