Football: All Whites coach Fritz Schmid exits with payout

Fritz Schmid had at least two-and-a-half years to run on his contract as All Whites coach. Photo / Photosport

The departure of Fritz Schmid is likely to have cost New Zealand Football up to $100,000.

The Swiss coach, who announced his resignation on Friday, was on a contract through to the end of this World Cup cycle. That would have been June 2022, had the All Whites qualified for the Qatar World Cup, or November 2021, had they dipped out in the intercontinental playoffs, as they did in the last two cycles.

That meant Schmid, who was appointed in February last year, had at least two-and-a-half years to run on his contract. But it's unlikely he would have received a full payout of his contractual term.

The Herald on Sunday understands the most probable scenario was a severance payment equivalent to between six and 12 months of Schmid's salary.

NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said he couldn't discuss details relating to the 59-year-old's resignation, as it was a "private employment matter".

Pragnell also maintained Schmid's decision to move on was his alone but it's believed there had been ongoing tension between the coach and NZF technical director Andy Boyens over plans and priorities.

Whatever happened, Schmid's departure before the end of his term wasn't entirely unexpected.

The appointment of the Swiss coach had been the final piece of former chief executive Andy Martin's puzzle but it wasn't so much a jigsaw as a Jenga tower.

Once Martin and former technical director Andreas Heraf departed, Schmid was left without a mandate.

His greatest allies were gone, especially Heraf, who had been determined to find a coach with a Fifa Pro Licence, seemingly at the expense of everything else, including local knowledge.

It's hard not to feel some sympathy for Schmid. He was sold a rainbow-tinted vision by Heraf that was never likely to be reality, especially with the state of NZF's finances. The national body was also in turmoil when he arrived and his tenure has seen three presidents at the helm of NZF.

With the board in a constant state of flux, it wasn't the time for bold new ventures and programmes, which is partly why the All Whites have been put on hold since last June.

Such inactivity was never going to suit Schmid, who must have asked why he was sitting in New Zealand, thousands of kilometres from his family in Europe, as coach of a team that never played.

The situation gives NZF a chance to start afresh and put things in place for the next World Cup cycle and beyond. Various contenders have already been suggested but NZF must take their time. They rushed the appointment process last time, when it was obvious the All Whites wouldn't need a coach in the first half of this World Cup cycle. And after the experiments with Anthony Hudson and Schmid, it's likely NZF will lean towards a candidate with coaching experience in this country.