The Executive Committee of New Zealand Football would like to congratulate Anthony Hudson on his tenure as All Whites coach.

The 36-year-old Englishman, who signed on with the national team in 2014 after three years as head coach of Bahrain, made the decision today to step down after the All Whites were beaten 2-0 by Peru in the FIFA World Cup Intercontinental Playoff.

New Zealand Football President Deryck Shaw paid tribute to Hudson for a successful time in charge of the national team.

“Anthony has earned tremendous respect from the whole NZ football community and the Executive Committee have been very proud of what he has done for New Zealand Football during his tenure,” said Shaw.

“He goes with the Board’s best wishes and we note that High Performance football is much stronger and more resilient given his work.”

Hudson enjoyed a successful three years as the coach of the All Whites. He guided the national team to victory in the OFC Nations Cup in Papua New Guinea before the team had an impressive tour of the United States where they lost 2-1 to Mexico and drew 1-1 with the USA.

He led the All Whites to the FIFA Confederations Cup – at 35, he was the youngest coach in the history of the event – and secured New Zealand’s place in the Intercontinental Playoff with wins over New Caledonia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. During his time in charge, Hudson never lost a game to Oceania opposition.

The All Whites delivered one of their best performances under Hudson in the home leg of the FIFA World Cup Intercontinental Playoff when they drew 0-0 with Peru in Wellington, but the World No 10 were the better side in Lima and booked their place in Russia.

The search for Hudson’s replacement as All Whites coach will begin immediately.