The Sun-Herald

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Football Fantasy Land

This weekend, local football has never had it so good.

Never, ever, ever.

In case those in Sydney hadn't noticed, your two local regional rivals play the A-League Grand Final on Sunday.

One spin on the game pits the age and experience of Central Coast Mariners versus the youth and exuberance of Newcastle Jets.

Throw in the derby factor, an almost full house at the Sydney Football Stadium (frustrated only by stay-away "members") and actual, genuine, live coverage around the world and there's a lot that Football Federation Australia can be happy about.

Sydney FC won something of a booby prize by coming fourth this season. But if this is a booby prize, give me two.

This past week they've been involved in a landmark tournament in Hawaii with Gamba Osaka from Japan and Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy from the US.

TV rights holder Fox Sports is so excited by the prospect of Brendan Renaud carving up the Galaxy defence it's showing the Sydney-Los Angeles play-off for third place directly after the Grand Final coverage.

(What do you mean some guy called David Beckham is actually the star attraction in that game and pretty much the only reason why anyone is paying attention? You're ruining my fantasy!)

Not so many years ago, this weekend's football carnival would have been unimaginable, let alone believable.

Today's state-of-play was a futuristic wonderland that a few mates and me would fantasise about over a few beers while watching Marconi beat Northern Spirit at North Sydney Oval.

Ah, the days and nights of Nicola Berti, "Arnie Out!", and being force-fed football - the Glasgow way - during Rangers brief misguided ownership of that club.

Craig Foster, too, has plenty of memories from his stint at Northern Spirit, no doubt.

Back then, in those golden olden days, we also dreamed - and discussed how we would run - a 24-hour TV channel totally dedicated to football.

What do you know? Plans are advanced to launch Fox Soccer Channel, a facsimile of a station in the USA, later this year in Australia.

Stand by for 24-hours of Premier League, A-League, Serie A (maybe), J-League, and Major League Soccer.

Lucky you might even get to watch Rochester Raging Rhinos play Puerto Rico Islanders in the United Soccer League (I said this was going to be 24-hours of football a day, not that it would be quality time).

This weekend's Grand Final also marks the retirement of the legendary Tony Vidmar.

Vidmar, the weeping warrior who burst into tears when Uruguay spanked Australia in 2001, stepped up to take a successful penalty in the 2005 shoot-out, and then missed out on the 2006 World Cup Finals because of a freak heart condition.

An epic story that we don't, when we think about it, know that much about beyond a few potential chapter headings.

Until very recently, Australia has never been very good at telling the story of football.

In the mid-1990s, the administration of Soccer Australia was so disinterested in its past that it threw (literally) years and years of its recorded history into a garbage skip that sat in the car park of the Sydney Football Stadium.

I know this because I climbed in to pull some of it out and boxes now sit in a cupboard.

When researching the first edition of The Away Game eight years ago, I was surprised by the fact I broke new ground in telling the story of Joe Marston's adventures in England in the 1950s.

Yes, every FA Cup Final we'd be told that an Aussie from Annandale played in the 1954 Final but there was little said about his actual experiences.

When Robbie Slater returned to Australia in 1998 after a decade in Europe, I had the opportunity to write his biography.

Robbie talked (he's good at that) while I typed and tried to make his career appear interesting.

It wasn't a hard task.

Slater set the old National Soccer League on fire alongside Graham Arnold at Sydney Croatia before tasting the harsh reality of life in Europe.

Bulldog drank beer and got homesick at Anderlecht, then went to play in France's second division (!) with Lens, before winning the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers, and experiencing the bizarre secret world of top flight football in England with West Ham United and Southampton.

For a football fan, it's enthralling stuff.

One of the great privileges of this job is the opportunity to sit down with former players like Eddie Krncevic, David Mitchell, Paul Okon, Tony Vidmar's brother Aurelio, Mark Bosnich, and Craig Johnston and hear amazing stories stories about their careers.

Did you hear the one when Eddie Krncevic's car was shot up?

Probably not.

What about Aurelio Vidmar as The Prisoner of Tenerife?

Unlikely.

And how about the time Bozza...

Oh, hang on. Kids sometimes read this.

Frank Farina is the only other player of recent times to publish a biography.

As media, culture, and football changes, it is possible that very few other players will have the opportunity to tell their stories (and we're not talking about dire inane "autobiographies" of 23-year-old Wayne Rooney here).

Without getting sentimental (nor wanting to sound like a grumpy old man), you don't know where you're going until you know where you've been.

Australia's football history, and the stories of its heroes, should be as important as the future.

Let's not forget.

• by Matthew Hall at 03:52 AM
• Comments (11)

Saturday, February 16, 2008

The 39th Game Asks 39 Questions

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has made some interesting suggestions during his often controversial tenure. Shutting down the Premier League's international incursion, however, was a piece of common sense.

Blatter's list of previous crazy ideas includes widening goalposts to increase the number of goals in a game and a suggesting that female players wear tighter shorts.

So his unequivocal "no" to the Premier League's expansion plans was shock of sensibility. It is, however, heavily weighted by politics. Blatter is in power because of support from smaller federations around the world. A political animal, Blatter knows that you never bite the hand that feeds. Suggesting that England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup bid might come under threat was also a slick bit of maneuvering.

Interestingly, the genesis for the Premier League's plan to play an extra round (the so-called "39th game", randomly drawn, and hosted by international cities) came from Melbourne.

Sir Rod Eddington, the boss of Victorian Major Events, planted the seed with the Premier League last year. Melbourne was the initial host city. The weed grew and, indelicately, flowered 10 days ago.

Those for the idea: the Premier League; Premier Leagues accountants; armchair fans who live on the other side of the world, like Australia; Some clubs, mostly Premier League bottom feeders in search of extra income.

Those against the idea: Most of the top clubs; English-based fans; British media; National associations; International confederations; many coaches.

One thing is clear. The 39th game proposal has kicked up a lot of questions. Here are some of mine.

It's your round...

1. Should domestic products - the A-League, J-League, Major League Soccer - be protected from colonial excursions?

2. Does the Premier League really threaten the viability of local leagues?

3. If you are a fan of Man United, why not go to Manchester and watch them play?

4. Why are you a fan of Chelsea when you live in Sydney?

5. Why don't you support your local team?

6. Are people in Wangaratta really fans of Wigan?

7. If they are, why?

8. Does any team beside Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool really generate interest outside of the UK?

9. Would Derby versus Sunderland sell out Homebush Stadium?

10. Are football clubs about local communities or global brands?

11. If you're a Manchester United supporter who lives in Gosford, do you have a season ticket for Central Coast Mariners?

12. If not, why not?

13. What's the difference between the AFL playing a game in Dubai and the Premier League playing a game in Melbourne?

14. And what about that rugby league match they had in Florida?

15. Are 39 games too many for players to be involved in anyway?

16. Why is the English league looking to extend their competition when FIFA and UEFA are asking for the top leagues to trim the number of games?

17. Why is the English Premier League so popular in Australia?

18. Is it all about television?

19. If it is, do you stay up until 4am to watch live games?

20. Are you mad?

21. Is it possible you don't have a life or are you simply dedicated?

22. Did you know a ticket to see Arsenal play one of the top three teams at their own stadium can have a face value of over $200?

23. Did you know a face value ticket for Middlesbrough can cost over $70?

24. Have you ever seen a Serie A match?

25. Have you ever seen a game in Spain?

26. Have you ever been to a live match in Europe?

27. How do you get from Manchester city centre to Old Trafford?

28. Without using the Internet, can Liverpool fans explain what Stanley Park is?

29. Does this idea to take Premier League matches overseas mean the game is dead - or very much alive?

30. Is it even possible to get a ticket for a Chelsea home game?

31. Is a football match about the spectacle on the pitch - or off it?

32. Would Chelsea fans at the MCG create their own homegrown atmosphere, imitate Stamford Bridge, or recreate the atmosphere of a library?

33. If Liverpool plays in the Middle East, will Yossi Benayoun be allowed into certain countries with his Israeli passport?

34. Can anyone who watched Chelsea v Liverpool last weekend seriously say that was a good game?

35. Why is it that Australia, the USA, Singapore, China, and the Middle East are considered as venues but not Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Nigeria?

36. Isn't funny that Arsenal already plays in "The Emirates"?

37. If it's so difficult for players to travel around the world for a World Cup qualifier why is it all of a sudden so easy for them to do for a hypothetical club game?

38. Was Football Federation Australia right to suggest we don't want any of the games in Australia?

39. Finally, why do we care so much?

• by Matthew Hall at 03:24 AM
• Comments (24)

Saturday, February 9, 2008

The Empire Strikes Back!

Isn't it great to be a colonial outpost?

Fifty years ago this week, a plane crashed in Munich killing eight players from the Manchester United team, two coaches and a club official, eight journalists traveling with the team, two members of the flight crew and two other passengers.

Some readers know of this. Others may not. The crash was a defining moment in the history of Manchester United, as was the team's reconstruction under manager Matt Busby and their victory in the European Cup 10 years later.

The 1958 United team were genuine rising stars, similar in some ways to the current version of Manchester United but, in other ways, very different.

Obviously, football too was very different. Players earned no more than $100 per week compared to $100,000 per week today. There was little TV coverage. Most players were locals. The universe was in black and white.

In our part of the world, the Australian Soccer Federation was one year old, Joe Marston was skipper of a national team that was undefeated that year in two games against New Zealand, and things were about to get very interesting with a massive influx of migrants from Europe.

How times change. Munich was recalled this week as officials at England's Premier League, an undeniably powerful global brand of which Manchester United is a torch-bearer, announced that it would quite like to play competition matches at venues outside of England from 2011.

The plan would involve extending the Premier League season by an extra game and sending Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal (as well as Wigan, Derby County, and possibly Leyton Orient) to Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Chicago to play matches for competition points.

In other words, destinations where fans with little connection with the geographical location of their team already watch the Premier League games that are beamed live around the world on television.

"Hooray!" shout Man United fans in Earlwood, unlikely to ever travel to Manchester and see "their" team play at Old Trafford.

"Ripper!" rejoice Wigan Athletic's hardcore West Ryde support that can't afford to sample the delights of the JJB Stadium first hand.

The idea has been poorly received by supporters - and the media - in England, mostly suggesting the "soul" of the game has been ripped out, etc, etc.

This possibly means the concept will definitely go ahead.

But it would also have been polite to ask us how we feel about another country thrusting its cultural dominance upon us in person.

Football Federation Australia boss Ben Buckley was careful with his words when he suggested that this was an "interesting concept".

"FFA's priority is to promote the Hyundai A-League and to grow the game
in Australia," Buckley said.

Which in corporate speak, means 'What's in it for us?"

As the recent visit to Australia by circus act David Beckham demonstrated, the Sydney public go ga-ga and hand over big money to be associated with imported celebrity.

As the contract details for the game explained, the Homebush full house was certainly not about Sydney FC nor Los Angeles Galaxy nor the quality of the match.

It was about the charisma of the (possibly) 374th best footballer in the world and his sexy six-pack.

Imagine, how crowded the Sunday social pages will be when Cristiano Ronaldo or Harry Kewell come to town to play a real game?

The televised globalisation of the Premier League is already of concern to football's colonies.

Not so long ago, I had a conversation with Mohamed bin Hamman, President of the Asian Football Confederation. He was unimpressed at how Manchester United versus Liverpool, Arsenal versus Anybody, sucked money and interest from local leagues across parts of Europe (give us a wave China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and you know what?, Australia).

Bin Hamman was furious with both the Malaysian football association and Manchester United when a friendly was scheduled for Kuala Lumpur during last year's Asian Cup.

Bin Hamman is also an astute and smart diplomat. Manchester United wheeled their bandwagon elsewhere and the Asian Cup continued more or less unaffected albeit in front of sometimes sparse crowds.

But let's get this straight. The Premier League proposal is not about pleasing far flung fans wrapped in Middlesbrough scarves in an Aussie summer.

It's about sucking money from all corners of the world to help pay the wages of Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres, Tim Cahill, and even Jimmy Bullard. Oh, and the executives at clubs and the league.

While FIFA and UEFA both want England to trim the number of teams in its top flight as well as the number of games its top teams play (in line with the rest of Europe), the Premier League now wants to extend its season.

While coaches and clubs complain about Tim Cahill traveling to Australia to represent their country in a World Cup qualifier, they will now happily make the same trip to pick up a fat pay cheque.

First of all, however, the Premier League has to get past FIFA and UEFA for this to happen.

Then they have to get past regional bodies, including the Asian Football Confederation.

To play a game in another country it also has to be sanctioned by the host nation, so FFA will have to tick a box.

Also, they have to ask us, the fans, whether we would fill our stadiums to see another country's league competition when... oh, by the way, did you know? We have one of our own, thank you very much.

But, if the Beckham game last year is any hint, cultural cringe is alive and well in Australia and the stadium will be full, whether in Sydney or Melbourne.

The word inside FFA is that colonialisation plans are far more advanced than the Premier League is letting on.

Melbourne is already on a short list of possible host cities.

Victorian Premier John Brumby left for an overseas trip on Friday. On his agenda was a chance to watch an Australian Rules football match between Adelaide and Collingwood in a fantasyland desert oasis called Dubai.

Yes, that's my punch line.

(But it will be interesting if his trip also takes him to London).

• by Matthew Hall at 02:57 AM
• Comments (19)

Saturday, February 2, 2008

The 2010 World Cup Starts Here

A peculiar thing will occur on Wednesday. Over 50,000 people will attend a football match in Melbourne.

This is not altogether unusual in the southern city, where teams representing local suburbs play a game unique to this part of the world and stir up regional hysteria.

But this time a massive audience will watch an Australian national team play a small country that many are unable to locate on a map and maybe fewer could name its capital city.

It's also questionable whether many in attendance - or even reading this - can name the best players for Qatar (that's the country Australia is playing, by the way) or know that the coach of the opposing team has recent colourful history with the Socceroos.*

(Like all good quizzes, answers are at the bottom of the page).

But, for once, some lack of knowledge is not such a bad thing. We have come a long way in a short time. Wednesday is a historical day in Australian sporting history and demonstrates how much Australia's place in the football world has changed in just four years.

The Socceroos first match in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign is our first-ever World Cup qualifying match as a member of the Asian Football Confederation and the first time ever we have had a fair and balanced (but not necessarily easier) qualification process.

Wednesday will be a long way from a cold Adelaide night in May, 2004. Then, Australia kicked off its campaign for the 2006 World Cup against New Zealand.

Sitting with just 13,000 others, some of us watched a frustrating game where Frank Farina was coach, Zeljko Kalac was in goal, Stephen Laybutt and Adrian Madaschi were in defence, and Max Vieri (remember him?) played up front.

Oh, happy days.

Mark Bresciano scored the only goal and away we went.

Over the next few days, the Socceroos beat Tahiti 9-0, Fiji 6-1, and Vanuatu 3-0 before a 2-2 draw with Solomon Islands.

That last result is not a misprint. Australia really tried to win a game that only 3,500 people turned up to see in Adelaide.

More interestingly, that result saw New Zealand eliminated from World Cup reckoning. Australia would later again play the Solomon Islands in a play-off for the World Cup.

By then Frank Farina would be sacked and Guus Hiddink was working out what the hell he would do to make this Australian team fire up.

This history lesson is important because it wasn't that long ago. We're not talking about scratchy black and white footage of Johnny Warren running around in South Korea in 1969.

This was 2004 but it seems a generation, and a world, away. A time before the A-League, before the Asian Cup, before Kaiserslautern, and when David Zdrilic played for Aberdeen in Scotland.

Most importantly it was a time when our World Cup was pretty much two doomed games against a South American team we would struggle to beat.

Now, unrivalled in any other sport Australia participates in, the Socceroos have a campaign that takes them across Asia - Qatar, Iraq, China - and, with some luck and hard work, back to do it all again with the rest of the world in 2010.

Bring. It. On.

Qatar's capital city is Doha; Qatar's star player is Uruguayan-born Sebastian Quintana who became a Qatari citizen last year but is suspended for the game against Australia; Qatar's coach is Jorge Fossati, who coached Uruguay against Australia in 2005. So now you know. Use this information wisely.

• by Matthew Hall at 04:00 AM
• Comments (17)