Top-flight football in New Zealand is in turmoil after the former national women’s captain revealed she quit because of her coach’s primitive methods.

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Football Ferns coach Andreas Heraf has been widely panned for his reaction to a 3-1 loss to Japan in Wellington, when the home side spent the majority of the game defending.

Asked about their tactics, the Austrian said a negative mindset was needed against the 11th-ranked Japan as the 20th-ranked Kiwis “will never have that quality to compete with Japan”.

Heraf, who is also New Zealand Football’s technical director, said conceding three goals was a good result, contending it could have been eight if the Football Ferns had pushed forward.

The comments proved too much for former captain Abby Erceg, who retired in March after a training camp under the newly-appointed Heraf.

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Erceg, whose 132 caps is a national record, revealed why she walked out in a searing social media post on Monday, describing the 50-year-old Heraf’s methods as from the dark ages.

“I want to play to win, every time, coming onto that field swinging punches, kicking and screaming if I have to before I concede anything,” she said.

“I’d rather lose by one saying “we f...ing went for it” than cowering in a corner.”

Reports that Heraf, in his wider role, is introducing a similar mindset to national boys and girls age group teams has prompted supporters and commentators to call for his immediate resignation before an archaic approach sets the sport back.

It has been suggested Heraf ruined what should have been a special occasion on Sunday, with a record crowd for a women’s international in New Zealand attracted to Westpac Stadium.

The dire spectacle came just a month after the country’s top women received equal working conditions to the men in a collective bargaining agreement which was internationally lauded.

NZF bosses were unavailable for comment as they are in Russia attending a Fifa congress.