August 3 – Former England captain Terry Butcher has quit as Philippines head coach after just 50 days before he had taken charge of a single match.
The 59-year-old was appointed on a two-year deal in June, starting this weekend, but said he does not believe the right system is in place for the country to be successful.
Butcher, who made 77 appearances for England, has managed eight clubs since ending his playing career in 1990.
“I’m sorry to announce that I will not be proceeding in the role,” he said.
In a statement to Press Association, Butcher, who has not managed since he was sacked by Newport County in 2015, added: “Across recent months I’ve been intensely engaged with many people to thoroughly understand and prepare for this exciting challenge.
“The vital issue for myself was to carefully build a robust plan to meet the football ambitions of the national team and ‘do the country proud’.
“Regretfully, I’ve not been able to make this work in the way that I intended and I’ve decided not to continue in the role.”
The Philippine Football Federation, taken by surprise over such short notice, said it “accepts with understanding” Butcher’s decision.
Butcher was to have replaced Thomas Dooley who guided the Philippines to its first ever Asian Cup qualification and led the team to an all-time high of 115th in the FIFA world rankings.
Butcher’s arrival in the country had been delayed because his hiring coincided with the month-long World Cup, which he covered for the BBC. “I see a lot of work ahead of us, but it will be fun work. It will be exciting work,” he had said in a video call from his broadcast duties in Moscow, a day after Philippine football officials confirmed he had landed the job.
Team manager Dan Palami said he had been “looking forward to working with Mr. Butcher as we build a strong team for the country’s first Asian Cup.”
“It is unfortunate, however, that Mr. Butcher expressed difficulty in executing his plans for the national team programme.”
Scott Cooper, a team adviser, will be handling the team’s preparations for its immediate upcoming tournaments.
“We remain focused on getting the best preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup and the AFC Asian Cup,” Palami added.
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