Under-fire Football Ferns coach Andreas Heraf could face a suspension from his role thanks to an official investigation into his conduct an behaviour being planned by Football New Zealand.
The New Zealand Herald reports an inquiry is likely to be announced at a press conference tomorrow after New Zealand Football issued a public response this morning, confirming letters of complaint written by numerous players had been received by the governing body.
Andreas Heraf believes he has the backing of his team but former players and critics aren’t so sure.
After Heraf criticised his players following their 3-1 loss to Japan in Wellington earlier this month, it is understood that at least 10 players have penned letters about the conduct of the Austrian.
Those letters, which reportedly detail incidents of bullying, intimidation and a culture of fear both on their Spanish Tour in March and at the Wellington camp, were then collated by the New Zealand Professional Footballers Association (NZPFA), and sent on to NZF.
It is understood that all those who have submitted complaints, as well as other squad members, have informed NZF they will no longer be able to represent New Zealand while Heraf is at the helm.
Andy Martin says Andreas Heraf’s comments were disappointing but he’s producing some good results with the team.
Former Football Ferns Abby Erceg and Katie Duncan have publicly criticised Heraf's conduct in charge of the side, although the coach has received public backing from New Zealand Football CEO Andy Martin.
"He was brought in as the technical director with a clear purpose," Martin told 1 NEWS last week.
"We've got this jigsaw around the talent space that has not been cracked for a long time. Andreas was the best candidate in that area. He'll be judged on that technical plan."
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