Australian soccer team.
After a 32 year long quest, Australia is again present in the world biggest sports event, the World Cup, and they are more than prepared for the challenge. If the win over the current European Champion, Greece and the draw with the Netherland was any indication, Australia is not there to make up the number.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the Australian expatriate community is also geared up for the occasion and they will party hard in support of their team. Following is a short conversation that our Saigon Giai Phong reporter, Le Nguyen, had with the Australian Consul General, Mr Mal Skelly, on the eve of the event:
Le Nguyen: Mr Consul General, 32 long years in waiting and finally Australia is in Germany 2006 World Cup, is it a dream come true for Australians Soccer fans?
Australian Consul General, Mr Mal Skelly: It certainly is and it is perhaps a good omen that the last time we qualified, the WC was also in Germany. It has been long time coming and the thing is we have, over the past few world cups, come so close to qualifying. Each time we have just missed out, usually by just a goal against one of the top South American teams. This is a timely reward for Australia.
Le Nguyen: Australia has been the World Champions in quite a few sports: Cricket, Rugby, Tennis and Swimming, when will you become World Champion in Football? What’s your expectation of your team in Germany?
Australian Consul General, Mr Mal Skelly: We hope of course that Australia will become the World Champion, as anything can happen in football. If not, qualification has already raised the level of interest in the game in Australia. There are already many Australian players in overseas soccer leagues. With the new domestic league, which includes many good teams, new sponsorship deals, the future of soccer in Australia is very bright and we will be a strong contender in 2010. As for the current World Cup, our strength lies in the fact that we are not well-known in the world of football, but at individual level, our players are very good. On top of that, we have a very shrewd coach, therefore I believe we might present a surprise for other teams in the competition.
Le Nguyen: How popular is Soccer in Australia compared to other sports mentioned above? Were you surprised at the number of the crowd (95000) at the recent friendly match in Melbourne between Australia and Greece?
Australian Consul General, Mr Mal Skelly: Australians love sports, no matter what the sport is, particularly if we are competitive. Soccer in Aust has, for a long time, been strongly supported by our different ethnic groups. The Greek support the Greek players, the Italian supported Italian teams and so on.
I remember back 1974 when we first qualified for the World Cup, though the team was largely made up of domestic amateurs and did not go past the group stage in Germany, it changed the nature of the game in Australia overnight and we started seeing kids taking up the game everywhere.
Nowadays it is still the most popular junior sport, which attracts by far the most number of players, particularly among school kids. Therefore it’s important to keep the profile up at that level so that players will stay in the game and play in Australia when they grow older. At the recent match against Greece we had a crowd of 95000 people which is unprecedented in the history of football events in Australia and that gives me confidence in the future of the game in our country.
Le Nguyen: What do you think of Australian being a member of the Asian Football Confederation? Will the road to future world cup be easier for Australia?
Australian Consul General, Mr Mal Skelly: Australia’s participation in the Asian Football Confederation is a good thing for both Australian soccer and the Asian game, as it adds more competition in the region. At the same time it will strengthen domestic football in Australia because there will be more exposure for Australian players to international competition and, thus raise the level of the games. This will make a difference in our future quest for World Cup qualification and should help raise the standard of our game even higher.
Le Nguyen: I’m sure the Australian team has a large number of supporters in Vietnam and in HCM City among the Australian Expatriates and the local Vietnamese. Are you going to party together somewhere on the nights Australia plays?
Australian Consul General, Mr Mal Skelly: I am not sure of the Vietnamese fans, but we do hope Vietnamese people will support us or one of the other Asian teams such as Japan and South Korea. Given the fact that our relations are very good with VN, I would think they will be strong Australian supporters.
The Australian Expatriate community here supports Australia in any sports, and there will no doubt be strong support for the Australian team in the World Cup. We are going to have a function at Arena Sport bar, where the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Australian Consulate will take over the place for the night to provide a venue for all supporters of Australia in the World Cup. We look forward to the local supporters to come and join us on the night. This will set a good scene for a long month of football.
