FORMER Australia defender Tony Popovic has been named head coach of the new western Sydney A-League club, Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Thursday.

Popovic has quit as the assistant coach of English Championship side Crystal Palace to join the club, which also appointed former A-League chief Lyall Gorman as the executive chairman.

The decision to add a new club to the 10-team A-League for the next season came last month after the FFA had terminated the license of the Gold Coast United club in February in a row over a slogan on the team’s shirt.

Sydney-born Popovic, who played 61 matches and scored nine goals for the national team, was aware of the challenge he faced but said he was up for it.

“Certainly it’s a great challenge, but one that I can handle,” Popovic, who has also worked as the assistant coach of Sydney FC, said after signing a four-year deal.

“We are short of time but we’re confident we’ll get a good team, a competitive team from the outset and one that’s well prepared. That’s the challenge we face.

“Building something from scratch… coming out to the west where I started my football was an opportunity that was very hard to turn down.”  – Reuters

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