FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Football - Women's Group A - Canada vs New Zealand - Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium, Saint-Etienne, France - July 25, 2024. Michael Mayne coach of New Zealand reacts before the match. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani/File Photo
(Reuters) - New Zealand interim coach Michael Mayne will remain in charge of the Football Ferns for a pair of friendly matches against Costa Rica in February as the national federation continues its search for a permanent replacement following Jitka Klimkova's exit.
Klimkova went on leave in May and resigned from her role as head coach in September after a New Zealand Football investigation cleared the Czech of wrongdoing in an undisclosed "workplace employment matter".
Under Mayne, New Zealand crashed out of the Paris Olympics in July with three straight defeats.
NZF has given Mayne no assurances about his future, but the caretaker coach hopes to retain the role for the long haul as the Ferns start a new World Cup qualifying cycle.
"I'm approaching this as if I'm taking it through," he told New Zealand media on Wednesday.
"Obviously, as the process is played out by New Zealand Football, we'll look at it then but the key thing is that we have a plan that we can start to execute.
"Ultimately, what I'm here to do is to make sure what lands on the pitch is something that is exciting to watch and we can really progress each tour until NZ Football decide which direction they want to go."
Klimkova guided the Ferns to their first win at a World Cup at the tournament on home soil last year, but finished her tenure with 11 victories from 39 games.
Her departure was messy, with NZF rowing back on a decision for her to resume coaching for the Olympics, citing the team environment and an incomplete "restorative process".
Mayne said he had reached out to players to understand their concerns.
"What I think I've come away with is, there's a real desire for this programme to move forward and I think we've got a group of players that are motivated to do that," he said.
New Zealand warm up for World Cup qualifying with matches against Costa Rica in San Jose on Feb. 22 and Feb. 25.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Nicholas Yong)
