New Zealand Football have named an interim coach for the All Whites after their quest to find a permanent manager hit a snag.
NZF announced this afternoon under-20s head coach Darren Bazeley will look after the side in the interim while retaining his role with the junior national side.
The appointment is a necessity with NZF also confirming the first two matches of their next World Cup cycle; two home games against China in March.
The All Whites will play the first game at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Thursday 23 March [kickoff 7pm] before heading to Wellington for a rematch on Sunday 26 March [kickoff 4pm].
NZF CEO Andrew Pragnell said securing the fixtures for next month should give the side some momentum to get their next campaign going.
“Having our teams play at home is really important to us, the team, the fans and to continue building the game in New Zealand," Pragnell said.
“Following the success of our September games against the Socceroos, and the record-breaking Football Ferns series against the USA in January, we are really pleased to confirm these two home fixtures against China to kick off the new All Whites qualifying cycle.
“The year ahead looks exciting for the men’s programme. We will be hosting the Paris 2024 Olympics OFC qualification tournament for the men in New Zealand in September and have some incredible games in Europe in the works for the June, October and November windows.
“This will be, hands down, the best preparation the men’s team have had leading into a World Cup cycle and playing at home every year will enable the fans to engage like never before."
It comes after former coach Danny Hay and star player Chris Wood slammed the state of New Zealand's action-starved programme last year following their games against the Socceroos - their first encounters against their trans-Tasman neighbours since 2011.
The games proved to be Hay's last in charge of the side - another issue Wood had no problem venting about, saying it would be "an absolute detriment" to lose him - as he departed the role last October after opting to decline to reapply for his role with his contract up.
Despite the concerns from Wood, Pragnell said they had found a "leading candidate" to succeed Hay but "a family health issue" had forced NZF to make alternate plans and name Bazeley instead.
"We had planned to have the new permanent All Whites head coach in place for the March window, but due to a personal family situation for our leading candidate this wasn’t possible," he said.
"We didn’t however want this to delay the team playing so want to thank Darren Bazeley for stepping up from U-20s head coach to take on the team on an interim basis."
Pragnell told 1News while NZF couldn't reveal who the preferred candidate is, they are "offshore" and "still interested" in the role.
In addition to the All Whites games, the men’s U-23 side will also play a curtain raiser against China’s U-23 team before both fixtures.
The U-23 side for this window will be coached by Wellington Phoenix’s Academy Director Paul Temple.
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