Under fire Football Ferns coach steps down

By Will Toogood

New Zealand Football has announced that Football Ferns coach Jitka Kilmkova has made the decision to stand down from her role with immediate effect after three years in the job.

”I want to thank Jitka for her time as Ford Football Ferns head coach and the major role she has played in bringing through a new generation of players.

”She will forever be remembered as the coach who led us to our first ever Fifa Women’s World Cup win, a historic, game-changing moment for football in Aotearoa New Zealand.

”We wish her the absolute best in whatever she chooses to do next,” New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell said.

Klimkova said it had been an honour to coach New Zealand’s national women’s side.

“I would like to thank New Zealand Football for the opportunity to coach the Football Ferns these last three years, it was a great honour representing Aotearoa around the world.

“I very much enjoyed working with the players, the coaches, the support staff and the many great people in football and high-performance sport across New Zealand.

“This experience was a challenge and made me stronger. I believe now is the right time to step away and let another coach carry on.

“I will forever cheer for the Kiwis in sports.”

Klimkova will remain working for New Zealand Football for the next six months, supporting the high-performance department and national team activity.

Assistant coach Michael Mayne, who led the team in the June Fifa international window and at Paris 2024, will continue as interim Ford Football Ferns head coach while campaign planning for the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027 continues.

The announcement brings to a close the headline-making saga that surrounded the latter stages of Klimkova’s tenure, that saw her step away from the role ahead of the 2024 Olympics after signing a six-year contract through to the 2027 World Cup, the longest deal in New Zealand Football history.

In June, Klimkova opted to stand down ahead of the Olympics after the conclusion of an independent workplace employment investigation that had cleared her to lead the team at Paris.

However, New Zealand Football said in a statement that due to concerns in relation to the team environment, Klimkova’s wellbeing and a restorative process having not been completed, it would not be the right time for her to return.

That move came after Klimkova took a leave of absence ahead of New Zealand’s international friendlies against Japan in Spain earlier that month due to an investigation into what the national body labelled as an “employment-related matter”.

That investigation was concluded and, on June 8, New Zealand Football announced the 49-year-old would be returning to her role at the helm, but eventually Klimkova made herself unavailable for the Games.

“With the investigation, commissioned by New Zealand Football and carried out by an independent workplace investigator, now concluded, Klimkova will return with immediate effect,” New Zealand Football said at the time.

“As is standard in workplace investigations and employment matters, findings of the investigation are strictly confidential to the related parties.”

Since taking charge of the Football Ferns in 2021, Klimkova oversaw 39 matches with the New Zealand women’s side.

Of those 39 games, the Football Ferns won 11, with seven draws to go with 21 defeats.

Klimkova oversaw New Zealand’s group stage exit from the 2023 Women’s World Cup on home soil, where the Football Ferns stunned with an opening victory over Norway, before a shock defeat to Philippines and draw against Switzerland saw the hosts finish third in Pool A.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission