‘Autocratic’ Danny Hay walks away from All Whites

A review of the All Whites World Cup qualifying campaign has highlighed Danny Hay’s autocratic coaching style and historical problems New Zealand Football has failed to remedy.

Hay’s tenure as All White coach ends this month and he’s decided not to seek re-appointment.

New Zealand failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar which starts next month but the review by Auckland barrister Don Mackinnon found that while the team was as well prepared as possible for the qualifying campaign, a number of issues need to addressed.

Mackinnon spoke to over 40 people involved in the All Whites campaign – including two thirds of the playing group.

Outgoing All Whites coach Danny Hay.
Photo: Photosport

“There is no doubt that the coaching style of Head Coach Danny Hay is predominantly autocratic – with a number of players describing him as…demanding and intense…and is unquestionably “in charge”.

Mackinnon’s report revealed that “the team environment was very tense” in the lead up to the final World Cup qualifier againt Costa Rica in Doha.

“While that is, to some extent,unsurprising given the enormity of the occasion, some players considered the environment became too negative and too intense and some felt this impacted on performance….a number of players felt strongly that the environment needed to be more supportive with more opportunities to reduce tension.”

The report noted that “while there is a clear trend in sport for more holistic and/or democratic styles of coaching, autocratic coaches are very common in football. Indeed, many All Whites players made it clear they thrive in this type of environment…either way, Mr Hay unquestionably has the support of the vast majority of the playing group.”

“(However) beneath the surface there were aspects of this campaign that unfortunately, did fall well short of best practice,” said Mackinnon found.

“NZF has previously commissioned independent reviews of the All Whites campaigns for World Cup qualification in 2010 and 2014, and some of the key gaps identified in those two comprehensive reports were, once

again, prevalent in the latest campaign… this simply must change.”

Don Mackinnon.
Photo: Supplied

Major problems arose though went it came to relationship with the national organisation, New Zealand Football.

“The All Whites and NZF’s high-performance staff operated almost entirely independently of each other, in silos, for much of the campaign,” said

“Some of the New Zealand coaches and senior players had little trust in NZF’s high performance staff (the CEO being one noticeable exception).”

“A culture of honesty and transparency is a key ingredient in almost all high performing teams, and it is

particularly crucial to the younger generation of player. While the All Whites coaches believe they have an environment where feedback is welcomed, a number of players believe the team will benefit from a more

openly collaborative approach where the voices of the playing group are welcomed and heard.”

Culturally, the team has significant strides according to Mackinnon.

“Hay introduced a number of initiatives to reconnect the team to the history of the All Whites and the legends of the game, and to emphasise a series of values that are strongly “Kiwi” based.

“In the eyes of most players, these have been very well received.”

New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said Hay was invited to reapply for the head coach position, as part of an open recruitment process for the 2026 World Cup campaign, but declined.

“I want to thank Danny for his time as All Whites head coach” said NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell.

“There is no doubt he has played a key role in the development of the team during a challenging period for international football.

Last month Hay said he was unsure if he’d look to remain in the role citing, NZF’s plan to not schedule matches for the All Whites in the upcoming November international window, meaning they would go at least six months without a match.

“The fact the team didn’t play for two years, and now there is going to be a hiatus,” Hay said.

“For me as a football coach, this is a tough role in the fact that you’re not getting to work with the players on a regular basis…

“100 per cent, the All Whites need to be playing. That’s a big thing.”

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Pragnell said re-aligning the All Whites with NZF’s high performance department will be a major focus.

“It’s critical the All Whites are fully integrated with the organisation if they’re to produce the best possible results on the international stage.”

Pragnell’s promised the All Whites will play in every possible window after this year’s World Cup, giving them much more time together than the previous Covid-19 disrupted cycle to continue their development.

“The plan now for New Zealand Football is to announce a new All Whites head coach as soon as possible once the recruitment process has been completed.”

-RNZ