Football Federation Australia (FFA) has announced the appointment of Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar as head coach of the Men’s Olympic Team for the 2012 Olympic Games and assistant coach of the Socceroos.

Vidmar, who quit The Reds after two successful AFC Asian Champions League campaigns, will replace Graham Arnold, who will take up the role of Central Coast Mariners head coach after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

FFA CEO Ben Buckley said Vidmar’s appointment showed FFA was serious about developing Australian coaches for important national positions.

“Aurelio is a great young coach and a position like this is a fantastic stepping stone for him and it will give him the opportunity to aspire to the (Socceroos) head coaching role down the track,” Buckley said.

“He has shown with his excellent work with Adelaide United that he can manage a team on the international stage and get results.”

FFA Technical Director Han Berger said Vidmar’s appointment was part of a strategic succession plan to develop top flight coaches from Australia.

“Aurelio is one of our most promising young coaches and he already has valuable experience coaching in Australia and Asia,” Berger said.

“I look forward to working even more closely with him and watching him develop in his exciting new role.”

In his relatively short coaching career, Vidmar has taken his team beyond the group stages of two AFC Asian Champions League competitions and to the A-League finals.

Prior to his appointment at Adelaide, he worked with Arnold as assistant coach to the 2008 Olympic Team and was named A-League Coach of the Year in 2008/09.

Aurelio is a former Socceroo of note, representing his country 44 times since 1991 scoring 17 goals and captaining the Socceroos seven times.

He played overseas in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and Japan, as well as playing for Adelaide City in the NSL.

Vidmar also was a member of the Olyroos at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.