Clash that almost destroyed Socceroos
Teammates: the 1997 Soceroos squad under coach Terry Venables (yes he’s English). Craig Foster is back row third from the left, Robbie Slater middle row second from the right. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: the Sunday Telegraph
WHAT happened between me and Craig Foster? that is the question everyone has been asking this past week. Let's just say we have a history.
Even though we played together, we were never really close. We are different people, and that’s fine because it takes all types to make up a team.
Still, a situation occurred with the Socceroos way back in 1997 that meant we would never see eye to eye on football matters – and especially that green and gold shirt which remains so close to my heart.
Foster and I were on opposite sides of a pay dispute that threatened to split the Australian team in half during the Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia. Wounds from that campaign remain raw.
Despite being new to the team, Foster – and some other players – felt we weren’t getting enough of the prizemoney.
The arguments were bitter, with Foster on one side, me on the other. the feeling around the team was very uneasy.
The treatment of Soccer Australia chairman David Hill by some players was deplorable, with one – not Foster – calling him a word that doesn’t belong in a family newspaper. there was even a player strike, with most of the team refusing to train. I still remember getting on the bus with coach Terry Venables, who didn’t want a bar of the dispute, and Ned Zelic and Steve Horvat while the rest of the team stayed at the hotel.
There had been other disputes over money during my time, but nothing like this. there were threats not to play, which would have resulted in Australia being kicked out of FIFA. It was a dark time for football in this country.
I didn’t disagree with Foster that we were underpaid; it was the timing of bringing it to a head that forced me to take a different stand.
The country was devastated after we drew the World Cup qualifier against Iran at the MCG after leading 2-0.
We were on our way to France. Then we conceded those two late goals and the dream was over. for many of us, it was our last chance.
Under that backdrop, I felt any push for more money made us look selfish.
Foster, though, was such a dominant personality that many players followed his line. When we had a vote to strike, there was a call for a show of hands and there were only three dissenters.
The whole thing didn’t feel right, so I called for a secret ballot. from memory, about eight players were against taking such extreme action.
In the end, Soccer Australia – with the threat of expulsion from FIFA – buckled and we were given a much larger cut of the prizemoney.
Then Foster made a crack that I will never forget and never forgive.
We were inspecting the ground before the first game against Mexico, when he came up to me.
He couldn’t resist a dig: "Hey Bulldog, you’re not going to take that money,are you?”
"I told him to get out of my face and where to go in no uncertain terms. this was from a bloke who had been in the team for five minutes. I retired from the Socceroos during that tournament and the bitterness of that pay dispute was a major reason for it.
…And Britain’s great brain snobbery is a myth
TO denigrate the British influence on Australian football is an insult to great men such as Ron Smith and Eddie Thomson, whose legacy is still being felt throughout the code.
I’ll admit that last week’s criticism of new Melbourne Victory coach Jim Magilton by another columnist hit a nerve.
It was just more prejudice from a noted anti-British football pundit.
To debunk the myth, Australian soccer has always been multi-cultural, with strong roots in the ethnic communities. Britain has simply been an important piece of that rich tapestry.
I have already mentioned Thomson, who won a handful of titles with Sydney City before taking charge of the Socceroos. And in his role with the AIS, Smith helped shape the careers of Socceroos such as Frank Farina, Ned Zelic, mark Viduka, Craig Moore and Lucas Neill.
There are many more, too, as his reign at the AIS was easily the most productive we’ve had.
Lawrie McKinna helped build a tradition at the Central Coast Mariners which is now being carried on by Graham Arnold and Ernie Merrick won two titles with the Victory.
And do we blackball an Alex Ferguson from the A-League because he has a British passport? do we forget Terry Venables and Bobby Robson coached Barcelona, Roy Hodgson was at Inter Milan or Steve McClaren is with FC Twente in Holland, where total football has its origins?
Look, there have been poor British coaches here as well, just as there have been from other parts of the world.
No one wants negative, route one, football, yet it’s pretty short-sighted – or bigoted – to suggest that’s all we get from the UK.
Harry Kewell remains one of the most cultured footballers Australia has produced, and he learnt the game at Leeds. Neill and Tim Cahill both left Australia at 15 to begin their football apprenticeships in England.
The Premier League is a high-paced, high-action competition, which is why it is so popular all over the world.
The reality is we are not going to have an A-League full of teams like Barcelona, and that shouldn’t be our ambition. Our game is founded in athleticism and power, and the skills of our young players should be fostered on those foundations.
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