Australia coach Popovic open to long-term contract extension

MELBOURNE, Nov 9 - Australia coach Tony Popovic is open to signing a long-term extension to stay on with the Socceroos following the Asian Cup's postponement and rebuild the team in the leadup to the continental tournament.

Popovic turned down a four-year contract extension with Football Australia (FA) that would have kept him in the job until the 2030 World Cup, instead signing a deal to the end of the original Asian Cup schedule in February.

With the event postponed to 2028 last week following attacks on hosts Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi-led movement, Popovic said he could see himself taking a longer-term deal pending contract negotiations with FA.

"Yeah, I'm very open to all the possibilities, as I was in June, and I'm sure we'll have discussions," he told reporters on a video call from Doha on Monday.

"I'm very open and very happy in this role ... It's an honour, it's a privilege and I don't take this job for granted."

Popovic took over from Graham Arnold in late 2024 and secured Australia an unusually smooth qualification for the first 48-team World Cup where they reached the last 32.

Australia play Asian Cup champions Qatar in Doha on Friday before playing Jordan in another friendly in Amman next week.

Professional Footballers Australia said last week Australia's players had "overwhelmingly" expressed their view that the Jordan match should be rescheduled or relocated due to the security situation in the region.

But Popovic, who named a 25-man squad on Saturday for the friendlies, said no players had made themselves unavailable due to security concerns.

The squad includes seven uncapped players, including Central Coast Mariners centre back Diesel Herrington, who joins his younger brother Lucas Herrington.

Contract negotiations aside, Popovic said the Asian Cup's postponement meant his focus was on finding and testing more players, similar to the year before the World Cup.

"You have to constantly adapt to situations, and this is one of those where it's (Asian Cup) postponed, and it shifts our focus to 12 months, thinking about how we can maybe integrate some new players," he said. REUTERS