Football
AAP 6y

Ange Postecoglou refuses to comment on Socceroos future

A tight-lipped Ange Postecoglou has declared his love for the Socceroos coaching job but once more refused to guarantee his future after November's World Cup playoff with Honduras.

He's foreshadowed a "discussion" about his position should Australia reach a fourth-straight World Cup by defeating the Central American nation.

At Tuesday's news conference, called to announce Australia's 25-man squad for the playoffs, the defiant national team coach was at his evasive best amid persistent questioning in his first fronting of the media since an incendiary report suggested he would walk from the role even if he was successful in leading the Socceroos to Russia next year.

A home-and-away playoff with Honduras next month will decide whether Australia makes it to the 2018 tournament.

And it's only after that will Postecoglou reveal his plans.

"I'm happy to have that discussion when we qualify," he said on Tuesday.

"If we don't qualify ... my future is absolutely certain.

"I'm not going to waste my time thinking about things that might or might not happen."

Postecoglou is contracted to take the Socceroos to the World Cup, but a defeat in the two-legged showdown next month will end his tenure early.

While the frenzied speculation has threatened to overshadow Australia's efforts to qualify, Postecoglou insists he's been untroubled by both criticism and the conjecture over his failure to clear up whether he would continue to lead the Socceroos in Russia.

Nothing beyond qualifying for the World Cup and getting the team ready to do that is important to me," he said, before taking aim at commentators focussing on him and not the task at hand.

"I've been called Con Postecoglou because Con and Ange are obviously easily misinterpreted, they're both ethnic names." he said.

"I've had my surname twisted in headlines to something really clever and funny which took me back to my primary school days.

"I've been called egocentric. Selfish. There's been calls for me to get sacked.

"But you know what? I'm still here. I won't change who I am and what I believe in.

"It doesn't hurt me. That's how people want to define me at this present moment after 30 years of football in this country.

"If I start changing the way I am after that kind of stuff then I'd be tarnishing my legacy."

Postecoglou refuted suggestions of disloyalty.

"When you coach your country there's no greater honour ... I've done it for 11 years in different capacities. I love this job."

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