Tony Popovic has been linked to the soon-to-be vacant job at one of his old clubs, Crystal Palace, in a sign that the out-of-contract Socceroos coach won’t be short of options if he decides to step away from the national team.
Palace are reportedly set to part ways with coach Pierre Sage after their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, with has left them bottom of the Premier League after 10 rounds.
The Athletic has named Popovic, who is in talks with Football Australia over a contract extension, as one of a number of coaches under consideration to replace Sage, who will become the first manager sacked in the Premier League this season.
Popovic, 53, played for the south London club between 2001 and 2006, and returned after retiring in 2011 as an assistant coach to Dougie Freedman, his former teammate and close friend.
He remains highly regarded at Palace, and was previously linked to the coaching role there in 2014. Meanwhile, Popovic’s agent, the well-connected Frank Trimboli, was the man who helped Ange Postecoglou land the job at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 , becoming the first Australian to manage at the Premier League.
Ironically, Thomas Frank – the coach who replaced Postecoglou at Spurs last season, only to be sacked after just seven wins from 26 league games – is reportedly Palace’s No.1 target.
Popovic is due to speak to Australian reporters at 4pm this afternoon via Zoom from Doha, where the Socceroos are gathering ahead of their friendly against Qatar on Saturday morning (1.45am AEDT).
It will be Popovic’s first media engagement since the AFC Asian Cup was shifted from January to December 2027 due to security concerns in host nation Saudi Arabia – a decision which, in turn, raised questions about his own future.
Popovic signed a short-term contract extension on the eve of the World Cup which was designed to keep him in the chair for that tournament, and provide flexibility for himself and Football Australia thereafter.
That contract expires in March, so Popovic will require another extension to coach at the Asian Cup, be it another short-term deal or a commitment to the full four-year World Cup cycle.
He has already turned down such an offer – in part, as Football Australia’s executive director of football Heather Garriock revealed on a podcast last month, because both parties could not come to an agreement on financial terms.
Popovic named a 25-player squad over the weekend for Australia’s friendlies against Qatar and Jordan, but it remains to be seen if the latter – scheduled for 3am AEDT next Wednesday in Amman – will actually take place.
Through their union, Professional Footballers Australia, players have “overwhelmingly” expressed their opposition to travelling to Jordan and would prefer for the match to be rescheduled or relocated, chief executive Beau Busch said last week.
In a statement issued when the squad was announced, FA chief executive Martin Kugeler said that the federation would continue to monitor the situation.
No clarity was provided by FA on which players, if any, had excused themselves from selection or if those who were picked have had to commit to playing both games, or only the one in Qatar.
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