Hiddink named Australia coach

PSV Eindhoven coach Guus Hiddink was named as Australia's new national coach on Friday, replacing Frank Farina who left the job last month.

Hiddink's appointment came as no surprise after he told reporters in South Korea on Wednesday that he would take over as Australia coach to help them qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals.

"The Hiddink appointment is the best possible response to our immediate need which is to give Australia every chance of success in the World Cup playoffs and, hopefully, in the finals next year," Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy said in a statement.

"He has had a distinguished career and his record speaks for itself. We could not have hoped for a more qualified, internationally-recognised coach to lead us on the road to Germany."

Hiddink will take control of the Socceroos immediately but also continue to work with Dutch champions PSV.

His first opportunity to work with the Australian side will be next month when the team assembles for a training camp in the Netherlands.

Australia cancelled a friendly with Colombia in London next month after the coach asked for the training camp instead.

FFA said the 58-year-old would remain with the Australian side until after the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, should they qualify.

Hiddink became the most successful coach in the Dutch first division earlier this year when PSV won the league, giving him his fifth title. He also guided the side to the Dutch Cup and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Hiddink initially won four Dutch titles and the European Cup with PSV before he went on to guide the Netherlands (1998) and South Korea (2002) to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

He also managed Real Madrid after leaving the Dutch job.

Australia's next matches are the home-and-away 2006 World Cup qualifiers against the Solomon Islands in September, the winners going on to play the fifth-placed South American team over two legs in November for a place in Germany.