Paris Games: Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson pays ultimate price for Australians’ shocking Olympic performance

The Matildas are searching for a new head coach after Football Australia ended months of speculation and confirmed that Tony Gustavsson’s contract would not be renewed.

Gustavsson’s four-year tenure ended after the Swede failed to guide the Matildas out of the group stage of the Paris Olympics, prompting many angry Australian fans to call for his sacking.

The FA said in a statement that the decision not to extend Gustavsson’s inconsistent spell was a mutual one.

The 50-year-old’s future has been a hot topic since last year’s Women’s World Cup on home soil, with him being linked with the Swedish men’s team and the US women’s national team.

Gustavsson decided to serve out the final year of his contract with Australia, but in a cruel twist of fate it was the USA who all but dashed the Matildas’ Olympic medal hopes in the early hours of Thursday morning by securing a 2-1 victory.

Australia still hoped to finish as the best third in the quarter-finals in France, but results in other groups went against them.

It is the first time in 24 years that Australia has failed to reach the knockout stages of the Games.

The FA’s decision to act quickly has been taken with a view to signing the highest calibre candidate, although the most likely candidate from within the club’s own academy – former Melbourne Victory coach Joe Montemurro – recently signed with French club Lyon.

Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson’s time with the team is over after the Aussies failed to make it out of the group stages of the Paris Olympics (Gustavsson is pictured receiving a yellow card during his team’s defeat to the USA on Thursday morning)

The Swede’s contract with Football Australia will not be renewed after the shock performance at the Olympics, it was announced on Thursday

The Matildas stars learned of Gustavsson’s departure from the team shortly after the loss to America

Ellie Carpenter is consoled by Lindsey Horan of the USA after the loss left the team’s Olympic hopes hanging by a thread. Shortly after, Colombia’s loss to Canada sealed their fate and their Games were over

The FA hopes that hosting the Asian Cup in 2026 will increase their chances of attracting a top coach.

Gustavsson informed his players of his departure after the loss to the United States.

His departure marks the end of a period in which the women’s game has become hugely popular in Australia after the Matildas finished fourth in last year’s World Cup.

Gustavsson deserves credit for establishing Clare Hunt, Cortnee Vine and Kyra-Cooney Cross as regulars in the Matildas formation and for supporting Mackenzie Arnold as his first-choice goalkeeper.

Those success stories are tempered by concerns about his over-reliance on Australia’s golden generation, his inability to add depth to the squad and the fact that the Matildas have struggled to develop a recognisable playing style that can compete with the world’s best players.

Gustavsson did not move to Australia during his time as Matildas manager and it remains to be seen whether the English Football Association will make that a condition for his potential replacements.