So Australia are out of the World Cup but who really cares?

Alex Broun 23:21 29/06/2018
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  • Australia battled past Syria to reach the World Cup but would it have been better if they lost?

    Whereas Germany will be returning to a country in national mourning after their shock early exit from the World Cup at the hands of South Korea, the Socceroos will be headed home to a very (in) different response.

    In the end Australia’s journey to Russia was hardly worth the trip.

    The Socceroos went through a marathon world record 22 games in qualification, eventually earning their place in World Cup 2018 after two rounds of Asian qualifying groups and then play-offs against Syria and Honduras.

    Looking back it would probably have been better if Australia had bowed out before those qualifiers and let Honduras or even Syria – take their place in the World Cup.

    To football mad Honduras it would have been a national celebration – their third World Cup in succession, fourth overall – while Syria’s participation would have been a global sensation.

    A tale of sporting hope in the midst of so much tragedy.

    But it wasn’t to be and in the end Tim Cahill’s 50th goal for Australia, scored in extra-time in a controversial second leg in Sydney, saw the Socceroos past the plucky Syrians.

    The Central Americans were not as troublesome – after a scoreless first leg in Honduras they were beaten in the second leg by an unlikely Mile Jedinak hat-trick, which included two penalties.

    Surely that was the cue for mass hysteria – 22 games and finally the World Cup had been reached – the Socceroos fourth in succession.

    There certainly was some jubilation among the Socceroo faithful at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney on that night in November last year.

    But it soon turned to confused expressions and shaking heads as the man who guided them through that torturous qualification campaign, Ange Postecoglou, promptly resigned.

    He never really gave his reasons, vague quotes about the time being right, but it is strongly rumoured he was unhappy with the way he had been treated by the Football Federation Australia (FFA).

    Since Australia’s exit from the World Cup he has clarified those reasons in a personal column saying it was the FFA’s lack of faith in his attack-at-all costs style.

    Or maybe he just looked at his limited squad and forward to what was coming at the World Cup and decided to quit while he was ahead.

    Enter a safe pair of hands, appointed by the FFA, former Dutch national coach Bert van Marwijk, to take the Socceroos to the World Cup – and not beyond.

    Graham Arnold, a former Socceroo and two time A-League winning coach with first the Central Coast Mariners and then Sydney FC, was already appointed in March to take Australia to (hopefully) the next World Cup in 2022.

    Van Marwijk was just passing through and to tell the truth his short reign hardly made a blip.

    Although in terms of participation Football is Australia’s most popular sport, it ranks well behind other sports like Australian Rules, cricket and rugby league in TV ratings, media coverage and sponsorship.

    This World Cup was also hampered by problems with rights holder Optus’ streaming service which had perennial issues leading to hundreds of complaints.

    So although the rest of the world is well and truly focused on events in Russia, many Australians hardly noticed it was going on as they flicked between Richmond and the Swans or the Broncos taking on the Sharks.

    Australians love a winner and any sport where Australia doesn’t dominate globally hardly rates a mention – thus swimming, Rugby League, Rugby Sevens and cricket are high up on the popularity stakes, as well as Aussie Rules which (as the name suggests) is a one nation sport.

    So Australia’s 2018 World Cup campaign has come and gone – and although some pundits and former players may have expressed their disappointment and exasperation at the Socceroos tame exit – most of the nation barely paused.

    The Socceroos next assignment will be the AFC Asian Cup here in the UAE next January where Australia will be among the favourites with Japan, Germany giant-killers South Korea and Iran.

    But unless the Socceroos can win the final in Abu Dhabi on February 1 – again it will hardly rate a blip – and this is the real issue for Football Australia.

    There simply isn’t room in an already over-saturated sporting market place for football to grow unless it can begin to grab back sponsors and broadcast dollars from other more established sports – it’s a similar issue Football has in the USA up against NFL, NBA and MLB.

    The big seller for Football would be the big clubs and big games from the Premier League and La Liga  – like everywhere else in the world – but both these leagues are only available either on pay TV or are shown very late at night, so they are never going to be hugely popular.

    The only other way for Australia is to win the World Cup – or at least get close – and that seems a very remote possibility. The furthest Australia have got in five attempts is the Round of 16 in 2006.  Until then the Socceroos will remain very much a sideshow.

    What the Socceroos really need is a Lance Franklin or Dustin Martin up front to get them some goals? But the chances of then swapping Aussie Rules for Football – about as remote as Australia winning the World Cup.

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