Australian National Teams Thread 5: WC Playoffs Here We Come

[wendybr]

Not all that much to add to the highlight reel, but we dominated, and did what we needed to do.

 

PS Nice to see Mitch in green and gold!

 

[Sithslayer1991]

Was just nice to see the national team back in action. 

[mack]

Olympic team announced.

Baccus is in. Margush isn't. Duke is in as an over-age player, and so is Tongyik (who was born 3 days too early to count as a regulation age player).

[Sithslayer1991]

Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo – Men’s Football

Name	Position	Age	Olympic Games
Daniel Arzani	Forward	22	Debut
Nathaniel Atkinson	Defender	22	Debut
Keanu Baccus	Midfielder	23	Debut
Nicholas D'Agostino	Forward	23	Debut
Thomas Deng	Defender	24	Debut
Mitchell Duke*	Forward	30	Debut
Denis Genreau	Midfielder	22	Debut
Thomas Glover	Goalkeeper	23	Debut
Joel King	Defender	20	Debut
Ashley Maynard-Brewer	Goalkeeper	22	Debut
Riley McGree	Midfielder	22	Debut
Connor Metcalfe	Midfielder	21	Debut
Dylan Pierias	Midfielder	21	Debut
Reno Piscopo	Forward	23	Debut
Kye Rowles	Defender	23	Debut
Harry Souttar	Defender	22	Debut
Ruon Tongyik*	Defender	24	Debut
Caleb Watts	Midfielder	19	Debut

[MartinTyler]

Arzani's fit then?

[Edinburgh]

23 minutes ago, MartinTyler said:

Arzani's fit then?

I was surprised to see him listed too.

[wendybr]

30 minutes ago, Sithslayer1991 said:

Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo – Men’s Football

Name	Position	Age	Olympic Games
Daniel Arzani	Forward	22	Debut
Nathaniel Atkinson	Defender	22	Debut
Keanu Baccus	Midfielder	23	Debut
Nicholas D'Agostino	Forward	23	Debut
Thomas Deng	Defender	24	Debut
Mitchell Duke*	Forward	30	Debut
Denis Genreau	Midfielder	22	Debut
Thomas Glover	Goalkeeper	23	Debut
Joel King	Defender	20	Debut
Ashley Maynard-Brewer	Goalkeeper	22	Debut
Riley McGree	Midfielder	22	Debut
Connor Metcalfe	Midfielder	21	Debut
Dylan Pierias	Midfielder	21	Debut
Reno Piscopo	Forward	23	Debut
Kye Rowles	Defender	23	Debut
Harry Souttar	Defender	22	Debut
Ruon Tongyik*	Defender	24	Debut
Caleb Watts	Midfielder	19	Debut

How old is an overage player allowed to be?

[sonar]

6 minutes ago, wendybr said:

How old is an overage player allowed to be?

Anyone over the qualification age ( 23 )

[Davo]

Should beat China (and their new Chinese Brazilians), Oman and Vietnam. Can’t see us getting much from the Japan games so Saudi games are massive.

[Sithslayer1991]

15 hours ago, Davo said:

Should beat China (and their new Chinese Brazilians), Oman and Vietnam. Can’t see us getting much from the Japan games so Saudi games are massive.

Depends. If we can't get home games in the country by September than it will be far more difficult.

Would have preferred Lebanon over Vietnam but both groups are tough. Between China and Iraq or Oman and Syria I am happy with China and Oman.

[Davo]

Interesting idea. Not sure how the AFC would go with that sort of request, but would be better than random games in the Middle East.

[Sithslayer1991]

London probably makes sense and it is down to the powers that be if we are allowed. Are there any other alternatives to have as our home away from home?

The other issue is A-league players that go on international duty. I think unless the FFA can convince the government to make exceptions for vaccinated players to move in and out it will be a logistical nightmare. 

[mack]

3 hours ago, Sithslayer1991 said:

Are there any other alternatives to have as our home away from home?

Doha in Qatar, Abu Dhabi in the UAE, near the AFC HQ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I reckon there's zero chance the AFC will let Australia play games in London.

[Sithslayer1991]

So my optimism has been killed the friendly Olyroos against the Kiwis ended 0-2. Not looking good for us

[MartinTyler]

3 hours ago, Sithslayer1991 said:

So my optimism has been killed the friendly Olyroos against the Kiwis ended 0-2. Not looking good for us

You had optimism?

[Davo]

I saw that NZ have former Premier League player Winston Reid, and current Premier League striker Chris Wood as their over age players. As much as I like Mitch Duke that's a bit of a step up in quality.

[Sithslayer1991]

Socceroos seek quarantine exemption to host World Cup qualifiers

By Dominic Bossi

July 15, 2021 — 11.31am

Football Australia is in advanced talks with the federal government to fast-track exemptions that would allow Socceroos World Cup qualifiers to be the first international sports events hosted here without quarantine since the pandemic began.

Australia’s second stage of qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar begin at home on September 2 against China but the FA needs the federal government to waive the mandatory 14-day quarantine for arrivals for the game to go ahead.

To avoid the Socceroos playing home games at neutral venues, FA is seeking an arrangement for both teams to train and stay in bubbles. There will also be safety measures to prevent players coming into contact with the public before, during and after games. That includes the possibility of seating arrangements for fans to remain a safe distance away from the sideline, benches and tunnel.

 

The Socceroos have one of the most dominant home records of any country in World Cup qualifiers, having lost just once in Australia since joining the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. That defeat was with a second string squad in a dead rubber against China in 2007. Playing at home would be a major boost to their chances of reaching the next World Cup but FA sources suggested they had looked at contingency plans if they were forced to play at neutral venues.

 

“The implementation of robust quarantine bubble arrangements that protect the health of teams, officials and the wider community will be absolutely central to our planning and discussions with government,” an FA spokesman said.

“Football Australia will make a further announcement about host city and stadium selections for matches against China in September, Oman in October and Saudi Arabia in November in due course.”

London has previously been used as a home for the Socceroos for friendlies but won’t likely be approved by the AFC as it is located outside the region, meaning Australia may have to play in countries such as UAE, Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong.

 

The federal government’s decision to reduce the cap on commercial international flights arriving in Australia doesn’t appear to pose a logistical problem for the Socceroos. They will have to undertake frequent travel to China, Oman, Vietnam, Japan and the UAE for their next round of qualifiers but have arrangements with airlines that could alleviate concerns and high costs.

The same can’t be said for A-League clubs recruiting foreign players and Australians based abroad. The soaring airfare costs as a result of the flight cap could prompt clubs to rethink their recruitment of players, potentially prioritising foreign stars without large families. Senior A-League sources informed The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age clubs were concerned the high airfare prices could effect the quality of foreign recruits. The new season is flagged to start on the last weekend of October or the first week of November.

Meanwhile, the Matildas lost 1-0 to Japan in a friendly match in preparation for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. A handball by defender Alanna Kennedy gave away a second-half penalty to Japan, converted by Mana Iwabuchi, which was all that split the two teams. The result keeps the Matildas winless in all five games under new coach Tony Gustavsson.

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[Sithslayer1991]

So based on the above looks like we may actually get Socceroos home games after all with A-league players unaffected.

However if the bottom paragraph is true we may see a limit of foreign players entering the A-league next season due to cost in air fares.

[Potkorok]

So noone watching the Olyroos? 1-0 to us. Playing on the counter. But we could have been up 3-0 with a touch of luck

[marron]

Over in the loympic thread

[Potkorok]

Ah.....i feel sheepish 

[mack]

Just when you thought we'd never bid for a WC again after the 2023 WWC.. FFA want to go for the 2030 or 2034 WC.

(no link, it's paywalled and from a Murdoch rag)

Australia set to prepare bid for FIFA World Cup

Sports and government officials are formulating plans to bid for the men’s soccer World Cup, part of a strategy to bring a string of major events to Australia before and after the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.

The bid would be for the 2030 or 2034 World Cup, with discussions taking place a ­decade after Australia’s ill-fated pursuit of the 2022 World Cup under then Football ­Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy.

Kylian Mbappe celebrates with the World Cup Trophy after France’s 2018 win. Picture: Getty Images

That bid was funded with about $46m of taxpayer funds, but officials believe a future bid has enough distance from the December 2010 decision that saw world governing body FIFA award the 2022 event to Qatar in a controversial ­process that ended with Australia receiving just a single vote.

The men’s World Cup is considered the most popular sports event in the world and Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said a bid would be a natural step after a successful joint hosting in two years of the 2023 women’s World Cup with New Zealand.

“We’ll host a great compe­tition in 2023 – we’re going to wrap a legacy around it for the game, but we’ve got to squeeze more juice out of this and it could be a stepping stone with a successful delivery of that ­toward more FIFA competitions,” Mr Johnson said.

“And there’s a trend. Look at Canada, which hosted the women’s World Cup in 2015 and 11 years later they’re going to host the men’s World Cup with the US (and Mexico). Look at Brazil – they hosted the World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016.”

Mr Johnson said he believed the 2030 men’s World Cup was more likely to be awarded to ­Europe or South America, given next year’s competition was in Qatar, part of the Asian Football Confederation, and the 2026 event in North ­America.

Asian countries, including Australia and the likes of China and Saudi Arabia, would be in contention for 2034, two years after the Brisbane ­Olympics and 11 years after the women’s World Cup. ­Preliminary discussions between FA and state-based major events officials have ­already taken place, with former Sydney 2000 Olympics bid chief Rod McGeoch, now a director of Destination NSW, confirming he was working on garnering support to launch an official bid.

“I have started (working on a possible bid) for 2030 … I feel we have got to start,” Mr McGeoch said.

“We are quietly working away and with the women’s World Cup in 2023, that is a big opportunity for us (as) FIFA will have an office in (Sydney).”

The planning comes as FA moves to capitalise on the 2023 event and the rising popularity of the Matildas, who smashed television ratings during their recent run to the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Mr Johnson said FA would seek extra government funding for soccer infrastructure for junior and amateur levels, with a boom in participation numbers forecast in the lead-up to and after 2023.

FA has also doubled its revenue in the past year, having signed a new naming rights sponsorship deal with Commonwealth Bank for the Matildas and a new broadcast contract with the Ten Network.

Mr Johnson, a former FIFA official, played down suggestions there might still be ill feeling from Australia’s last men’s World Cup bid, which included accusations of ­attempted vote buying and huge fees paid to ­European consultants.

“It is a different FIFA now,” he said. “You have to make sure you put the best bid in and make sure you’re the best ­advocate. We probably have more clout now than we’ve had in a long time.”

[Sithslayer1991]

BUT WHY???

2030 is likely to be held in Uruguay/Argentina/Paraguay bid.

And there are still scars from the last attempt. I can't see the AFC (we still have a lot of work to do there) OR the Australian government getting behind this. Football is sooo heavily underfunded by the government surely that should be the first priority for the FFA. They need to lobby for more funding to encourage playing the sport to the kids instead of pricing them out. Fix your own house before inviting everyone else.

Its a bad idea.

[MartinTyler]

Madness I tell ya !!

[mack]

Trying to win a WC before China gets one is stupid and by the time they've had one, Korea & Japan will want another one. FIFA might even want one in India before us. FFA should be concentrating on getting a national training center and adminstrative HQ somewhere in far-West Sydney, Canberra or Goulburn/Mittagong.

[pseudonym]

lol we haven't even hosted the Women's World Cup yet

let's learn to crawl before we can walk

[MathyouWSW]

This is hilarious 
 

 

[Sithslayer1991]

13 hours ago, MathyouWSW said:

This is hilarious 
 

 

Ok aside from the ridiculousness of the situation, why NSW. I don't think people will be allowed in stadiums by October so what about WA or SA I would go as far as to say Tasmania and the NT should be considered. Pretty sure the FFA want a crowd in the stadium at least.

[matty]

15 minutes ago, Sithslayer1991 said:

Ok aside from the ridiculousness of the situation, why NSW. I don't think people will be allowed in stadiums by October so what about WA or SA I would go as far as to say Tasmania and the NT should be considered. Pretty sure the FFA want a crowd in the stadium at least.

Yeah I thought that was odd too. My guess is it's a NSW government push. Most other states probably don't want the complication. 

[Davo]

Weirdly, NSW seems like the most logical place.

It sounds like the plan is to try to avoid the 14 day quarantine period, as that would be a deal breaker for the AFC. States that have no cases would be taking a bigger risk by letting people in from overseas without hotel quarantine. One mistake and they have an outbreak. Here in NSW we have cases all over the place so bringing in a relatively small group of highly tested, traced and isolated people doesn't introduce much risk to our current situation.

The problem will be the other teams. They'll be looking for any excuse to remove our home advantage, so if they refuse to wear tracking devices 24/7 (imagine our response if China imposed that on the Socceroos for the away game) then the whole plan could fall over pretty quickly.