The Papua New Guinea Football Association plans to have a new men's national coach in place next month as they begin preparations for the start of FIFA World Cup qualifying.
The Kapuls have not played an international match since last year's Pacific Games in July where the Bob Morris coached team was beaten on penalties in the bronze medal match against Fiji.
PNG Football Association President John Kapi Natto (L) speaking with Kapuls players David Browne and Alwin Komolong during the 2019 Pacific Games. Photo: PNG Football Association
Morris is now in charge of the Morobe Wawens club in PNG's National Soccer League and PNGFA President John Kapi Natto said they want to bring in a coach from overseas who can help to raise the level of football in PNG.
"What we want to try and do is bring in a level of coach that is quite high and also bring some discipline and great tactical training so that he will then mentor to our coaching like [Bob] Morris and other junior coaches that are below in PNG circles," he said.
"We've already got a few applications that we are going to be looking at and then the committee will decide on which one is the suitable external coach that we are bringing in."
PNGFA National Coaching Development Officer Harrison Kamake has been watching the National Soccer League over the past couple of months and will make recommendations to the incoming head coach to help him select a national squad, with PNG in talks to host friendly matches against Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in May, as part of their preparations for the OFC Nations Cup in June.
The plan is to hire a coach for an initial three month period John Kapi Natto said, adding that if things go well they can offer them a long-term deal or look elsewhere.
"In a couple of weeks time the names will be coming in, everything will be coming in and hopefully the PNGFA Congress will come to its fruition so that they will have a four year term, long-term planning and all that so that will come in place and we will know who our external coaches are, who our teams are, who our management are and their roles and responsibilities for the next four years in terms of planning."
PNG finished runners up in the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. Photo: OFC via Phototek
PNGFA have already received a number of coaching applications from all over the world according to Kapi Natto.
"I think there's a German coach, I think there's an African coach and then we've got New Zealand coaches who have also sent in their CVS, and we've also got a Brazilian coach who has sent in their CVs so we'd like to have the same calibre as our former coach [Flemming Serritslev who] now is with Fiji national team."
Former PNG coach still chasing payment
Flemming Serritslev spent 18 months in charge of the PNG Kapuls, a period highlighted by a runners-up finish in the 2016 OFC Nations Cup in Port Moresby, where they lost the final on penalties against New Zealand.
But the Danish national, who was appointed Fiji head coach in January, left three months before the end of his contract, after the PNGFA failed to pay him for the final year of his tenure.
"For me the players they were outstandingly good to work with, no doubt about this, but really I have some outstandings [with PNGFA]," noted Serritslev.
"The last times they haven't answered my emails - I don't know if they believe that now we've got a new president now we don't need to take care of our outstandings. I don't know if that's the case or not."
Former PNG coach Flemming Serritslev and players during a Kapuls training session. Photo: PNG Football Association
John Kapi Natto was elected PNGFA President in October 2018 and said his administration is still dealing with a number of issues carried over from the previous regime.
"I'm still carrying these legacy issues from the past regime of not completing the payment of the last coach," Kapi Natto concurred.
"I just don't know how they've done it, I just don't know how it happened that way, so we're working on to try and clear that debt out of the way and also if we bring in an external coach it is a short-term and we may negotiate the terms and conditions of this external coach."
PNGFA is also advertising for a men's assistant coach, goalkeeping coach, trainer, team manager and assistant manager with all applications closing on 20 March.