Andreas Heraf has resigned from his positions with New Zealand Football.

Heraf, 50, the Football Ferns coach and NZ Football technical director, has been on special leave since June after NZF received a letter from the Players Association with up to 13 complaints from Ferns players saying they won't play for the team again if he remains in charge. A former staff member also complained.

NZF president Deryck Shaw on Tuesday said in a statement he had accepted Heraf's resignation effective immediately, although Heraf would still participate in the independent review into NZF's culture.

HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES Football Ferns coach Andreas Heraf has resigned from NZ Football.

Shaw noted that "part of the resignation is that Andreas has confirmed that he will fully participate in the review and we will look to the findings of the review to determine the outcomes around this matter".

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Heraf answered a phone call from Stuff on Tuesday after his resignation was made public, but he hung up immediately.

PHOTOSPORT Up to 13 Football Ferns made complaints about Heraf.

NZF's statement added they would "begin the search for a new technical director and Football Ferns head coach at the conclusion of the independent review".

Andy Martin resigned as NZF chief executive in June after facing heavy scrutiny for his handling of the complaints around Heraf, a former Austrian international who was appointed by NZF last December.

Heraf recently claimed there was a "large-scale conspiracy" against him.

PHOTOSPORT Former NZ Football chief executive Andy Martin resigned in June after he was heavily scrutinised for his handling of the first complaints about Heraf.

Speaking publicly for the first time since NZF announced they would conduct an independent review into his behaviour, he said the allegations of bullying and intimidation labelled at him had come "out of thin air".

"The players' allegations lack any foundation and are based on fundamental differences in professionalism and performance," Heraf told Austrian newspaper Der Standard.

"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.

PHOTOSPORT NZ Football appointed Heraf last December.

"It's not a problem for me, fun culture and professionalism is not mutually exclusive if you say that we are 100 per cent committed to what we agreed to do, just as the players pretended to follow tactics, I told them that it would not be possible to have a say in the preparation and composition of the supervisor staff.

"Some people wrote in the letter that they would not be available under these circumstances, you have to take note of that, but I would talk to everyone again and try to change their minds."

Heraf was given a notice of investigation with a proposal for suspension after complaints about his conduct were received via the Professional Footballers Association.

BEVAN READ/STUFF NZ Football President Deryck Shaw said they accepted Heraf's resignation with immediate effect.

The complaints were understood to concern an unprofessional culture featuring bullying and intimidation.

A current Football Fern has told Stuff, on the condition of anonymity, that members of the playing squad were told they had to ask for Heraf's permission before they could leave the table at dinner time.

She also claimed players were shouted at for passing the ball between defence and midfield or if they passed the ball backwards because it was deemed too risky, a claim backed up by a second Ferns player.

PHOTOSPORT The former Austrian international has claimed there was a conspiracy against him.

Concerns that Heraf's Ferns environment was unprofessional were raised by a player to Stuff on May 10, following their tour of Spain in March, but that player withdrew her on-the-record comments following intervention by NZ Football and the PFA.

Heraf first came under scrutiny publicly after the Football Ferns lost 3-1 to Japan in a friendly in Wellington in June.

He faced huge criticism for his negative gameplan and for his post-match comments where he said "we will never have that quality to compete with Japan and even be better than Japan".

It was then revealed that NZF were deliberately flouting a Fifa directive by employing Heraf as both national women's coach and technical director.