Melbourne Victory Sack Diles as Ante Milic Talks Advance

Victory part ways with Arthur Diles after finals exit

The club confirmed Diles’ departure on Tuesday, citing a need to evolve despite his 40% win rate and a shock Australia Cup exit to Olympic Kingsway.

Melbourne Victory sack head coach Arthur Diles... 

Melbourne Victory told Arthur Diles on Monday that his time as head coach was over, following the club’s fourth-placed finish. The 44-year-old was informed of the decision by club management.

The club confirmed the departure on Tuesday morning with a statement. Executives Caroline Carnegie and John Dovaston said the upcoming off-season is “an important time for us to be bold and unapologetic in our ambitions as a Club” and “an appropriate time to make this change, viewing this juncture as an opportunity for the Club to continue to evolve and build for success.”

News Corp football journalist Marco Monteverde reported on Monday night that Victory chairman John Dovaston and football director John Didulica are in advanced talks with Ante Milic. The former Macarthur FC head coach is currently managing China’s women’s national team, and discussions are about him taking over at AAMI Park for the 2026/27 season.

Diles guided Victory to the 2024-25 A-League Grand Final, where they lost 1-0 to crosstown rivals Melbourne City. This season they were knocked out in the elimination final by eventual Grand Finalists Sydney FC.

He began as an assistant coach and became interim boss during the 2024/25 season after Patrick Kisnorbo left suddenly. Kisnorbo went on to defeat Diles in his final match as Victory coach.

Diles left with a 40% win rate from 50 A-League games in charge. The club also suffered a surprise early exit from the 2025/26 Australia Cup, losing 4-3 to NPL WA side Olympic Kingsway in July 2025.

An elimination final exit would almost certainly have been seen as a failure by the Victory board. This was especially true given the impact of Spanish World Cup winner Juan Mata, and the fact that Diles could not find a striker who scored consistently.

According to Monteverde, Diles was shocked to be told of his sacking only after taking part in player retention talks. The head coach had spent the previous fortnight considering those discussions since Victory’s finals elimination.

As someone who was never completely sold on Arthur Diles to hear of his sacking today by Melbourne Victory is still a bit of a surprise.

I think he has shown he has the potential to be a very good coach but for a club the profile of Victory results need to be instant.

— Julian Marcus (@JulianMarcus32) May 18, 2026