Coaching union Football Coaches Australia has addressed the recent development regarding Ange Postecoglou to Celtic, with UEFA now getting involved.
A report from the Herald last night claimed that Celtic were pushing for special dispensation for Postecoglou to be allowed to coach in Europe. Given the fact he currently doesn’t hold his UEFA Pro Licence, his appointment has been halted for now.
A UEFA source informed the Herald that Celtic’s appeal could take “several weeks”. That’s despite the fact pre-season for the Hoops starts in just under a fortnight. Postecoglou, meanwhile, currently holds an Australian Pro License. This is the highest level of badge a coach can receive in Asia.
This has led to Football Coaches Australia executive director Phil Moss coming out and reacting to the news. And it’s clear he doesn’t believe it’s any real concern when asked whether he felt it could be a deal-breaker.
As quoted by Sydney Morning Herald, Moss said: “Would it be a deal-breaker? I’d like to think it won’t be. On an interim basis you can bridge the gap between AFC qualifications and UEFA qualifications.
“During the time you keep the interim certificate valid, you are completing your UEFA Pro Diploma. Currently, our AFC Pro diploma relates to UEFA A Licence.”
Nothing to worry about for Celtic and Postecoglou regarding UEFA situation; timing the only concern
It doesn’t look like there’s much to worry about for Celtic here outside of timing. It looks almost certain that the Greek-Australian tactician will be able to take the job so long as he also takes his UEFA Pro Licence. Given Steven Gerrard was able to take the Rangers gig without having achieved his pro licence, it shouldn’t be a major issue.
What stood out more about UEFA’s retort was that it could take several weeks. Celtic just don’t have that kind of time on their hands. Not if we want to be suitably prepared for the Champions League qualifiers next month.
There are no guarantees of course that this will take a prolonged period of time. It could be the case that this is a relatively straightforward process and Celtic can crack on with things as soon as possible.
In normal times we wouldn’t be too concerned. We would trust the club knew what they were doing whilst their confidence would put us at ease. But after everything that’s gone on after the last 10 months or so, they haven’t earned that level of trust.
In terms of Postecoglou potentially getting turned down by UEFA, that seems a long shot. Despite the fact he hasn’t coached in Europe, he has immense pedigree in Australia and now Japan. He’s also coached at international level too. His coaching credentials don’t exactly need to be proven.
All we can do as supporters, however, is hope that this UEFA nonsense goes in quickly. Granted, if it doesn’t, we could always move ahead with our plans for the new Director of Football. Perhaps that idea is too proactive for Celtic right enough.
In other news, an injured Celtic star has explained the next step in his recover process as he provided a promising message.
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