Controversial coach Andreas Heraf has officially parted ways with New Zealand Football.
The Austrian was suspended, pending an investigation into the NZ women's team culture and environment, after complaints from 13 players, alleging bullying and intimidation.
NZ Football has confirmed that Heraf has resigned as both Football Ferns coach and technical director, effective immediately.
Heraf will now take part in the independent review that's currently underway.
"Part of the resignation is that Andreas has confirmed that he will fully participate in the review," said NZF president Deryck Shaw. "We will look to the findings of the review to determine the outcomes around this matter.
The 50-year-old first came under the spotlight after the Football Ferns' 3-1 loss to Japan, when he attempted to justify his turgid tactics by claiming, "we will never have that quality to compete with Japan and even be better than Japan".
Heraf hit back at the allegations in an Austrian newspaper earlier this month, telling derStandard that the revolt was part of a "large-scale conspiracy against him", while questioning his players' commitment to high-performance sport.
He also accused them of being distracted by social media and the preference for a "fun" team culture, and described the accusations as "out of thin air".
"The players' allegations lack any foundation, and are based on fundamental differences in professionalism and performance," said Heraf.
"The players oppose my European style, with high standards and high expectations of professionalism, and prefer a fun and family culture, with a focus on making fun videos and opening up to social networking."
When contacted by Newshub, Heraf refrained from commenting on his resignation.
Last month, NZ Football CEO Andy Martin resigned, following criticism of his handling of the Heraf complaints.
Newshub.
