Football: Venables has rivals as Australian coach

Howard Wilkinson yesterday emerged as a rival of Terry Venables in the race to become the new coach of the Australian national team.

The former England coach is insisting that his dream of leading a team into the World Cup finals could be realised Down Under because he is "99 per cent in position" to accept an offer from the Australians to succeed Eddie Thomson.

But while officials of Soccer Australia, the country's governing body, have admitted that their chairman, David Hill, who is in England at the moment, has spoken with Venables, they say he is on a list of possible candidates that also includes Wilkinson, Jack Charlton and Johan Cruyff.

Steve Speziale, a Soccer Australia spokesman, said: "There's no denying that David has spoken with Venables, but he's also spoken with Jack Charlton, Johan Cruyff and told me today that he had dinner with Howard Wilkinson last night."

Speziale revealed that, while Venables was "very interested" in the Australian job, a deal was yet to be finalised.

"I have spoken with David Hill today and his comment at this stage is quite simply that we've got nothing to say," Speziale said.

"When a deal is sealed we'll be in a position to say something, but at this stage nothing is finalised."

Venables claims a deal which would allow him to try to guide Australia to the 1998 World Cup finals in France is already close to completion and says he has held lengthy talks with Hill.

He was quoted in a Sunday newspaper as saying: "I couldn't be more upbeat. The job offers me one thing I have always wanted to be involved in a World Cup. I wanted it with England, but it wasn't to be. In the circumstances the offer from Australia is exciting. There are a couple of details to be sorted out, but I don't see any major problem."

Venables, whose contract with the Socceroos would be worth pounds 200,000 a year, a pounds 70,000 increase on his time in charge with England, could be appointed under a novel job-sharing scheme that would allow him to spend most of his time in Europe and monitor the form of Australian players there in the lead-up to the 1998 World Cup.

Australia has over 100 overseas-based players, including Aston Villa's Mark Bosnich and the Lazio sweeper, Paul Okon. A home-based coach would also be appointed to take charge of players drawn from the country's domestic league.

"My job would be to ensure Australia qualify for the finals," Venables, currently director of football at Portsmouth, said. "That's a huge incentive for me.

"The thought of achieving that and then meeting England, well, that would be something special."