ACL winner Osieck is new Australia coach

AFC – SYDNEY, AFC Champions League winning coach Holger Osieck of Germany has been unveiled as the new coach of Australia and will lead the Socceroos to the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™.

Osieck won the continent’s premier club title in 2007 as coach of Japan’s Urawa Reds besides several other international titles, including the FIFA World Cup in 1990 with Germany as an assistant to Franz Beckenbauer and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000 in charge of Canada.

The appointment makes a break with Australia’s recent coaching past which has seen two Dutchmen taking over the controls, starting with Guus Hiddink (2005–06) and his successor Pim Verbeek (2007–10).

“It’s a great pleasure for me to be here and I feel very much honoured that I’m your choice,” Osieck, 61, told journalists via videolink from Slovenia before Australia’s friendly against the Central European team Wednesday.

“I am excited about working with the Socceroos and building the team’s impressive results in Asia and around the world,” Osieck said.

Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy stressed that it was Osieck’s “extensive knowledge of Asian football” that swung the scales in his favour.

“He has experienced what it takes to traverse Asia and win tournaments and this will be an invaluable experience as he leads our team into the AFC Asian Cup in January 2011 and as we prepare for another challenging campaign to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014,” said Lowy.

Australia have been grouped with Korea Republic, Bahrain and India for the Doha football extravaganza and the challenge for Osieck is to improve on their quarter-final performance in the previous edition.

Osieck said: “Taking over at a stage of natural transition as we start our preparations for 2014 is an ideal opportunity to influence the future direction of the young players and coaches from Australia.”

The German enjoyed a long and illustrious playing career with several European clubs before switching to coaching and proving himself at a number of leading outfits including VFL Bochum and Fenerbahce Istanbul.

During his second stint with Urawa, Osieck led them to multiple titles including the biggest club title in Asia. The Japanese outfit defeated Iran’s Sepahan in a memorable sold-out final in Saitama in 2007.