[ad_1]
Des Buckingham will not train the OlyWhites at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics next July.
NZ Football announced Thursday that All Whites coach Danny Hay would take over the role of OlyWhites immediately.
Buckingham had been hired for NZ Football until the end of August, and the Olympics were originally scheduled for this year.
LARS BARON / FIFA via GETTY IMAGES
Des Buckingham was ready to train the White Olympians at the Tokyo Olympics this year.
Once the event was postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, its future on paper became a pressing question for the governing body to answer.
READ MORE:
* Buckingham’s future in the air
* Versatile soccer fern is removed
* Oceania soccer tournament canceled
* Singh advises Kiwi to do it in Europe
A letter said to have the support of 24 players was delivered to NZ Football, requesting the retention of Buckingham, even though it would mean extending his contract for another 12 months. That’s just under half the total number of players who have played for Buckingham in the past two years in the U-20 and U-23 environments.
In a statement, NZ Football said: “As part of his role as head coach of the All Whites, Danny Hay previously assumed the position of U23 male head coach from September 1, 2020.”
“Due to the current postponement of international football, this has been presented to provide clarity to the players.
“The consolidation of roles allows the 2021 Olympics to now become an integral part of the All Whites’ qualification campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”
There remain questions about whether the rescheduled Olympics will take place. Things He has seen a letter sent to the OlyWhites gaming group, which said: “There is … uncertainty as to when international football will resume and whether the Tokyo Olympics will be able to be held within the new dates set by the International Olympic Committee.”
NZ Football Chief Executive Andrew Pragnell said in a statement: “We are deeply disappointed that we were unable to attend the Olympics this year and have empathy for what this result means for Des and the current men’s U23 group.
“This is an unprecedented situation, but we wanted to bring clarity to everyone involved so that we are in the best possible position when we start playing again.”
The OlyWhites are primarily an under-23 men’s team that will be primarily an under-24 team next year due to the postponement.
They qualified for Tokyo by winning the OFC U-23 Championship in Fiji last October comprehensively.
NZ Football has combined the roles of All Whites and OlyWhites since 2014, but had to separate them last year after the abrupt departure of former coach Fritz Schmid in late June.
CATHERINE IVILL / GETTY IMAGES
All-white coach Danny Hay will take over the Olympics if the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics continue next year.
Buckingham was appointed to Tokyo last July, and the White Olympians urgently needed a coach for the Pacific Games that month, and Hay was then appointed to the All-Whites position until the end of the 2022 World Cup campaign in August. .
The All Whites team Hay selected for their first games in charge last November contained nine players under the age of 23.
Nations can also draw on three players from more than 18 squads for the Olympics, meaning there was already a lot of overlap between the All Whites and the OlyWhites.
Buckingham joined NZ Football as the U-20 men’s coach in early 2018 and led that team at last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, where they were eliminated on penalties in the Round of 16, but impressed with his positive play. style.
The Olympics then won the Pacific Games last July, overcoming inhospitable conditions in Samoa and beating top-tier teams from across the region, before drawing a pair of friendlies with Australia and then qualifying for the Olympics.
