Alen Stajcic. | Photo from PFF Website
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Alen Stajcic, the Philippine Women’s National Team head coach, and assistant coach Nahuel Arrarte will not sign a contract extension with the team.
This was despite the Filipinas’ promising FIFA Women’s World Cup debut,
The sad development was reported on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) on its website.
Stajcic and Arrarte both decided to venture into other options after the Filipinas exited the FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage with a 0-6 loss to powerhouse Norway on July 30 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
Under Stajcic’s coaching for over 20 months, he led the Filipinas to the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in India for the first time in history. The victory qualified the Filipinas for the World Cup.
Also, under Stajcic’s leadership, the Filipinas won the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) title in 2022 for the first time also.
They also won a bronze medal in the Southeast Asian Games and attained the highest FIFA global rankings at No. 46 last June prior to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Also, under Stajcic, the Filipinas won their first FIFA World Cup match against the host team, New Zealand, 1-0, last July 25, from Sarina Bolden’s 24th-minute header.
It was the first-ever World Cup goal for the Philippines in both men’s and women’s competitions.
“I would first and foremost like to express my gratitude to Sir Jeff (Cheng) for giving us the opportunity and entrusting us with the keys to the National Team. Throughout nearly 20 months we went on a journey together as a Team from being outsiders in South-East Asia to winning a match at a World Cup. All of which were special and memorable and brought much-deserved attention to the Team. But without question, the two best experiences of my coaching career thus far were the last two World Cup matches. Beating New Zealand on home soil and scoring our first World Cup goal and getting our first win was the things that dreams are made of,” said Stajcic in a statement released by PFF.
He also sent a heartfelt message to the Filipinas who for him are courageous, passionate, disciplined, and loyal to the team, flag, and the country.
“I wish everyone a great future and look forward to following the next chapters in the story,” Stajcic concluded. /rcg
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