Former Football Ferns head coach Jitka Klimkova. Photo / Photosport
Former Football Ferns head coach Jitka Klimkova. Photo / Photosport
Herald football writer Michael Burgess looks at the implications of Jitka Klimkova’s exit and last month’s revelations of player dissatisfaction.
ANALYSIS
Fixing the divide between New Zealand Football and the Football Ferns will take a lot of work. There is always some tension between national sporting bodies and their apexteams but this has become a chasm. That’s the overwhelming conclusion from recent events, with the resignation of Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova and the subsequent fallout.
Undoubtedly, the players feel aggrieved, with their strong allegations – detailed in last month’s exclusive Herald story – arising from the off-field incident involving Klimkova at the end of last year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup and the subsequent investigation. They feel that NZF didn’t do enough to examine the matter and were unhappy with the restorative and reconciliation process suggested ahead of the Paris Olympics before it was eventually decided that Klimkova would step aside for the Games. They have also questioned NZF’s ability to “safeguard” their environment.
But equally, the NZF hierarchy, especially chief executive Pragnell and high-performance general manager Keir Hansen, will be extremely unhappy about the turn of events – and perhaps a little surprised. They would have thought the unfortunate chapter had come to an end with Klimkova’s exit, when her resignation was confirmed on September 12, rather than be the spark for further fires. NZF had reached an agreement with the New Zealand Professional Footballers Association (NZPFA) after a process involving interviews, testimonies and an investigation conducted by an independent third party.
Former Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova. Photo / Photosport
But it seems that – and the end of Klimkova – wasn’t enough. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of last week’s development is that the players decided to act unilaterally, separate from the NZPFA. The players’ union has been closely aligned with the team over the last decade and helped achieve constant upgrades in the collective bargaining agreements (such as equal pay with the All Whites and travel conditions), along with all the work done during the review involving former coach Andreas Heraf and the subsequent appointment of Tom Sermanni.
Ultimately, it’s about integrity. By their words and actions last week it felt like players were questioning the integrity of Pragnell, NZF, the independent investigator and their own representatives, who seemingly all agreed that the matter had been dealt with and it was time to move forward.
There is no doubt – despite their public proclamations – that NZF erred badly when handing Klimkova a six-year contract in 2021, given she was unproven as a senior coach at international level. It was also no secret – especially in the aftermath of the 2023 World Cup – that there was dissatisfaction with Klimkova among elements of the team, especially the senior group, and doubts that she was the right person to take the team to the next level.
So if there were any grounds for a mutual termination, it may have suited NZF, in a pragmatic sense. Pragnell had no ulterior motive to back his coach but equally would have felt he had to respect the process and findings of the independent investigation. Were there any shortcuts? It’s hard to know, but the investigation – of a complex matter – appeared to be thorough and would have cost between $50,000 and $100,000, going on market rates.
New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell. Photo / Photosport
It’s definitely unfortunate timing. The women’s game was on a high following the spectacular World Cup last year but this public airing of grievances will be damaging to the sport, though the players may feel that Klimkova’s bloated contract put NZF in an unnecessary bind.
But what is the end goal here? Some of the allegations made last month were emotive and highly inflammatory, which makes you wonder if the players are agitating for the removal of Pragnell or some board members. Of course, we have been here before. The messy Heraf saga back in 2018 also led to the resignations of then-chief executive Andy Martin and former NZF president Deryck Shaw, a heavy price to pay for those individuals, whatever their shortcomings.
It will also be a difficult time for Klimkova, whose reputation has been completely dismantled, though she might take inspiration from Heraf, who has done well in a series of club jobs in Austria and Germany, as well as a stint in Brazil, since he returned to Europe in 2018.
Perhaps the most damaging implication of last week’s explosive fallout is that it could affect the quality of potential candidates to replace Klimkova. On the surface, the Ferns’ gig is an attractive job, with a free ticket to both the Fifa Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, thanks to direct qualification from Oceania and the massive disparity between New Zealand and the rest of the confederation, where the women’s game is decades behind.
But prospective applicants might be wary of entering such an environment, given the fate of previous Ferns coaches and assistant coaches and the apparent potential for militancy within the squad.
It’s also a difficult role. Even taking into account Klimkova’s perceived tactical shortcomings, the playing group were notoriously inconsistent during her cycle. It’s been a pattern for years with the Ferns, who have consistently failed to deliver individually and collectively when it counted, rarely punching above their weight on the world stage.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
