The fallout from the just completed ONC, where Australia were defeated 1-0 by New Zealand, has seen the newspapers have a field day (below this editorial is a few examples). The reaction has extended world-wide with major international sporting sites focused more on the ramifications of the result rather than the result itself. They've taken lead on the reported criticism between various sectors of the sport in this country. Coach Farina has blamed Soccer Australia, SA CEO Greg Bates has blamed SA's administration, media commentators have blamed SA too. In response, SA have deflected blame back onto the coach and those players that failed to make themselves available. The players that actually played have been the only people to keep quiet. However, the scorer of New Zealand's winning goal has blamed Australia's ego for their demise. But who is really to blame?
Clearly, SA's administration should take most of the blame. Their procrastination in committing a team had the single biggest impact on the team's demise. Their excuse of having no money and needing to settle it's deal with IEC (the company that had sole marketing rights to the Socceroos) is irrelevant. Their top-most role is to run Australia's national teams. Interestingly, according to the New Zealand Herald, SA claim to have spent a whopping $270,000 on their minimal preparation whilst the Kiwis only spent half of that on theirs, and that involved a trip to China! Regardless of the real outlay, qualifying for the tournament, an almost certainty with even a properly prepared local team, would have seen them with a minimum one million dollars better off after players were paid their share of the 1.8 million dollar appearance fee. Surely funds could have been obtained somewhere, either a loan or from the state federations, to fund a better preparation.
Failing that, why delay the commitment until so late? It meant that many overseas players that were prepared to pay their own way to Australia, or, for many of the players, to simply stay on longer whilst holidaying here, would have done so if they knew the tournament was on. Even if SA could only afford a 12-day preparation, why wait until 12 days out to confirm participation? If the confirmation was announced earlier, players would have stayed on, and also done private training to keep fit until they headed into camp. SA knew about the tournament for months, yet announced it so late. It was the single most bizarre incident in this entire debacle. Even announcing the commitment a month earlier would have been enough. So many overseas based players were in Australia, as evidenced by their appearances on World Cup shows. When asked about the ONC, many stated they'd love to play, but since they don't know if it was on, could not hang around, so planned to return to their clubs! (The "Horvat rejects arrogance claim" article below provides further examples.)
SA has pointed the finger back at coach Farina by saying he knew that there would only ever be a locally based, so should have prepared better for that scenario. That does not wash either. The only reason the team was predominantly locally-based was because SA had not committed to the tournament earlier. Also, even with just local players, if they'd known the tournament was on, they could have privately trained during the off-season instead of entering the tournament unfit and out of touch.
Can Farina be blamed for anything? Well, coaching-wise, given that the team played so well in the final, not in that area. Contrast that with the Uruguay series, where the team was beaten through poor tactics. Sure, the team lost the ONC too, but it had nothing to do with Farina's tactics. Of course, had Australia been beaten by Tahiti in that semi final, it might have been a different story! Such are the quirks of the world game, but you still feel that a defeat to Tahiti would have said more about the preparation than anything else.
Probably the only criticism of Farina was that he did not stand up to SA to force a decision about the tournament earlier. In fact no one raised any vociferous concerns about the preparation. Most, including this website, accepted the fact that Australia might lose and that there was nothing much that can be done given SA's financial plight. In hindsight, and only because we lost, Farina should have broached SA earlier and clarified the fact that overseas players were willing to stay on and play, but needed confirmation that a team would be committed.
In response to losing the tournament, Farina has subsequently vowed never again to enter such tournaments without a full strength team. He'd rather not enter a team if it was not close to full strength and/or properly prepared. He says he will name his team, and SA can handle the rest. What was that? SA handle the rest? That's a joke. Up until 12 days before the tournament, there was no reason to pick a team. Those vows would not have worked then, and would not work in the future. Ultimately, SA has the final say. Farina has no choice but to continue to accept the working conditions that SA had already imposed on him before the tournament. He's probably speaking more out of frustration than anything. But those concerns should really have been raised before the tournament, not after the horse had bolted.
If Farina is serious about his vows, the only logical conclusion one can foresee is that the Farina/SA relationship will be strained almost to the point of severance. However, both parties have publicly stated that they would like it to continue. If that is genuine, then they must unite and look for answers - answers to questions that just don't revolve around the ONC fallout, but to resolve the symptomatic nature of the sport in this country as a whole. An absolute debacle.
Footnote: The venue for the Confederations Cup is still undecided. Although France has been tipped as the likely venue, South Africa, the United States, Portugal, Egypt and even Australia have been touted as prospective hosts. Already confirmed, however, is Germany for the 2005 Confederations Cup as a lead-in to the World Cup there the following year.
While SA played the most significant role in this debacle, Oceania's administrators can take some blame too. Australia in fact protested against the tournament's dates, and wanted it shifted forward to late-May - before the World Cup. This would have enabled players to continue on into the tournament after just completing their club commitments. Overseas players would also have been free and would in fact have been arriving en mass to Australia for their holidays, rather than leaving, as the case was with the July dates. New Zealand and the island nations, however, preferred the July dates, and Oceania were reluctant to over-rule.
Really, Oceania just should have done the common sense thing from day one and announced appropriate dates. If NZ (or Auckland) could not accommodate the tournament then it should have been moved. It seems NZ, who's players would also have benefited from a late-May tournament, did everything in their power to make it hard for Australia to win. That included their players, who also had a similar incentive-based salary package to that of the Australian players, to be backed by their national body to spend two months in preparation, which included a tour to China and games in NZ against a Scottish club side.
Some commentators fear that New Zealand's victory will harm Oceania's chances of gaining guaranteed representation at the World Cup. The fear is that they will get smashed at the Confederations Cup, which will highlight the overall weak status of Oceania. Considering they ran Germany, Brazil and the USA reasonable close in the 1999 (2-0, 2-0 & 2-1) edition, and have a better team these days, that appears unlikely. They should be better than that this time, and if they do better - maybe even to the point of winning a game or two - it will prove that Oceania is not just a one-team confederation. That would only help their quest for World Cup representation. However, in saying that, the talk of "working" and "fighting" to obtain this World Cup spot from various Oceania officials is nonsense. Guaranteed representation at the World Cup is a virtual fait accompli.
The more pressing issue for Oceania is the very concept of Oceania itself. This recent Oceania Nations Cup has only reinforced the absurdity of the confederation in terms of a competitive footballing regions. Despite Tahiti and Vanuatu improving, there's still a long way to go before any of these island nations will challenge the big two. Those Oceania administrators that have faith in the region continually point to CONCACAF as an example of what Oceania could be in the the future. They see that Mexico once totally dominated that region, but now many other countries have come on. But the big difference is that all those countries have either a football heritage (central American countries) or massive populations within a highly developed infrastructure (USA, Canada). There's over a dozen countries as good as or better than New Zealand there, with many more on the way up. In Oceania, there's only one. It's hard to see any others, with their small populations and poorly developed infrastructure, ever progressing.
If, by some act of ultimate Fifa treachery, Oceania do not get guaranteed representation at the World Cup come December 18 when the decision is made, then the courageous decision must be made to end the lunacy of this terminally ill region. Or, Australia should just leave it and just boycott the next World Cup if no other confederation will accept them. Oceania should never have been formed without a nucleus of several strong teams. It's 35-year existence has been fruitless. An Oceania without Australia would probably be forced to close shop anyhow. But sadly, those in control of Oceania and Soccer Australia will never let that happen. For doing the wise thing would have the most negative effect on the area that they deem most important: themselves.
Footnote, 21/07/2002: The fall-out from the recent Oceania Nations Cup that's seen a public slanging match between coach Farina, Soccer Australia CEO and various SA board members, which placed strain on Farina's tenure as national coach, reached its conclusion this week when the SA board endorsed Farina's position as coach. However, Farina's tenure is conditional that he refrain from publicly commenting on matters that don't concern football. And it was hardly an endorsement of his coaching ability as it was revealed that the decision had most to do with the fear that further bloodletting would further damage the game.
Farina's definitely lost a lot of support from the board, even from staunchest ally, chairman Ian Knop, and earned the ire of several board members. The decision to retain Farina was not unanimous - several wanted him sacked, possibly to be replaced by youth team coach, Ange Postecoglou. The most astonishing piece of jousting post-ONC came from board member Les Avory, who was miffed that Farina deflected all the blame for the loss against New Zealand towards the board and accepted none of the responsibility himself. Avory wanted an apology, or would "never speak to the f*cker again". He questioned Farina's coaching ability in saying that talent as a player does not convert to talent as a coach. And he said that if he was Farina, he would shut up. Stunning stuff, especially coming from a national governing body of the largest sport in the world.
Footnote, 03/08/2002: On their website, SA recently announced their excellent financial status, and also the fact that they weren't budgeting on prize money from the ONC or even the Confederations Cup. Budgeting on prize money was a mistake that previous administrations had made, and they weren't going to repeat it. They also stated that playing in the last Confederation Cup actually resulted in a nett $400k expense. Amazing, considering they finished third, and would have received at least $1 million after the players took their share of prize money. Whether the current SA administration could validate that expense, if it was there, then SA's apathy to competing in the ONC is now apparent. They were afraid of accruing more debt. SA's mantra is to run the national teams and ensure they play as regularly as possible, but it is understandable that they put financial benefit over the national team playing on this occasion. Refer to news item of 03/08/2002 for more.
New Zealand Herald (www.nzherald.co.nz). Original link: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/sportsstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=2097684&thesection=sport&thesubsection=soccer&thesecondsubsection=general
15.07.2002
A New Zealand team, down and almost out for the first half hour dragged themselves off the canvas to deliver a US$1 million 1-0 knockout blow to Australia in yesterday's Oceania Nations Cup final at Ericsson Stadium.
The victory broke a 13-year drought in New Zealand for the All Whites and booked them a place in next year's rich Confederations Cup. It also showed the benefits of a better preparation and, in the end, superior fitness. The victory capped a great weekend for transtasman rivalry. Like the All Blacks' win less than 24 hours earlier, it was a no-frills victory achieved by sheer guts and hard work. It was a battle - one the Australians could have wrapped up in those first 30 minutes. And, in the end, it was a classic contest.
It was hardly surprising that the deadlock was broken by a piece of individual brilliance. After failing to convert a Simon Elliott freekick a minute or two earlier, US-based Ryan Nelsen made no mistake when he ghosted in behind the Australian defence to stab home Aaran Lines' curling 82nd minute left-foot freekick. Nelsen later tagged it the biggest goal of his career. But he added: "It was not a striker's goal but one any centre-back would be proud of." This tended to back suggestions the ball flew into the Australian goal from Nelsen's shinpad rather than his boot.
The goal drained any remaining fight from the Socceroos and left the All Whites with few worries in running the clock down. The victory rekindled memories of rare New Zealand triumphs against a country they first played in 1922 - a game won 3-1 by New Zealand. Their last victory at home, 2-0 at the same ground, was the first leg of the 1989 World Cup qualifiers. The All Whites last win in any match against Australia was four years ago - also 1-0 - in the Nations Cup final in Brisbane.
It was never pretty, but as the fifth game in a little over a week for both sides few were expecting much more. The opening minutes were all Australia as a tentative New Zealand side struggled to make any impact. Joel Porter should have scored in the ninth minute, but was denied by a great blocking save by Jason Batty. Damian Mori had a half chance five minutes later and another seconds later when he just failed to reach Porter's cross to the far post.
Accepting those let-offs, the All Whites retrenched and looked to rebuild. But they rarely threatened to make much impact against a powerful Australian midfield led by Scott Chipperfield and Angelo Costanzo. The Australian team were well shy of their best, and coach Frank Farina stacked them with defenders. But they still had enough go-forward to put the home side under pressure.
Tahitian referee Charles Ariiotima handed New Zealand free kicks at the rate of almost two-to-one, but the Australians were ahead 4-3 on the corner count and 7-4 to the good on shots at goal. Those statistics were not reflected on the scoreboard, which in the end showed only one winner - the team ranked in the 80s in the world taking the honours from one ranked almost 40 places higher.
The experience provided by Nelsen, Elliott and Ivan Vicelich was invaluable as the New Zealanders fought back and eventually won. Others, such as Duncan Oughton and Gerard Davis continued to impress. Mark Burton was judged the tournament's most valuable player. A not fully-fit captain Chris Zoricich struggled to find the pace he needed but still fought courageously, as did Chris Jackson in the engineroom. Chris Killen, probably a pace or two below that required to be regarded as a top international striker, improvised his game in falling back in his search for possession.
Australia could - maybe should - have won. That they did not was credit to the excellent work done by coach Mick Waitt and his assistant Ricki Herbert off the pitch and the 12 committed players on it. The 12th was James Bannatyne, brought into the action for the last 30 minutes when Batty limped off after slipping. He denied Mori a 75th-minute score with a reflex push over the crossbar. That typified the spirit of this side who chased a dream and last night saw it fulfilled.
BBC Sport. Original link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/football/newsid_2127000/2127665.stm
Monday, 15 July, 2002, 09:06 GMT 10:06 UK
New Zealand 1-0 Australia
Australian football indulged in some deep soul-searching just hours after the shock 1-0 defeat by New Zealand in the Oceania Nations Cup in Auckland.
Ryan Nelson's winner for the Kiwis took them to next season's Confederations Cup in France, and dealt a hefty second sporting blow to their neighbours from across the Tasman Sea.
The Socceroos' defeat came just 24 hours after the All Blacks' rugby union win over the Wallabies.
Frank Farina was given mission impossible in New Zealand
Soccer Australia acting head Greg Bates Australia, who missed out on a place in the World Cup finals in a play-off against Uruguay, will need to completely overhaul their game, according to the acting Soccer Australia chief executive Greg Bates.
Bates slammed Soccer Australia for a lack of planning, which sent a squad of home-based players to New Zealand completely unprepared.
He claimed Soccer Australia's precarious financial position placed coach Frank Farina in an embarrassing position.
Australia's participation in the tournament was in doubt until a few days before the tournament.
Aussie coach Frank Farina was given mission impossible
Overseas stars such as Leeds United pair Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka were told they would not be paid to fly back, and would only get expenses.
Bates said: "Frank Farina was given mission impossible in New Zealand.
"If the administration is in disarray you cannot win on the field. You cannot."
Despite Farina picking a third-string squad of home-based players, Australia were still expected to win the Oceania Nations Cup, and with it a much-needed cash boost from the trip to France next year to play in Fifa's Confederations Cup.
Soccer Australia's (SA) finances were damaged when they were forced to reach an out-of-court settlement with former marketing partner International Entertainment Corporation.
But Bates said: "We no longer bank on the Socceroos saving Soccer Australia. That is not the situation.
The board has to meet on a number of issues and have to make some hard decisions
Greg Bates "We didn't need the Socceroos to win to hold us up. Our cash flow is good, but low.
"In the last four or five months, we've put in place a massive change of management programs, put together business and financial plans, and introduced new financial procedures.
"We've certainly got to the bottom of the balance sheet and wound it back."
He added: "On Friday, the board has to meet on a number of issues and have to make some hard decisions.
"The issue is we all need to agree on Friday on what we need to go forward."
Washington DC-based Nelson volleyed home an Aaran Lines free-kick from close range to clinch victory.
Kiwi Elvan Vicelich (left) and Australia's Angelo Costanzo battle it out
Australia dominated the early stages and were denied a lead when New Zealand's veteran goalkeeper Jason Batty pulled off a brilliant 10th minute save to deny Joel Porter.
New Zealand rode out the pressure and finished the stronger of the two sides.
Despite scoring 23 goals in the run-up to the final, the Socceroos rarely lived up their reputation as Oceania's strongest football nation.
They needed a golden goal to beat lowly Tahiti in the semi-final of the eight-nation tournament.
Soccernet.com. Original link: http://www.soccernet.com/global/news/2002/0715/20020715australia.html
Monday, July 15, 2002
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia soccer has crashed to new depths following the country's 1-0 loss to New Zealand in Sunday's Oceania Nations Cup final, Australia's main newspapers reported on Monday. National coach Frank Farina said Australia soccer's worst fears had come true and blamed the sport's national ruling body Soccer Australia (SA).
In a story in the Herald Sun headlined 'Rock bottom', Farina said: 'Our worst fears have come true today.'
'You can't be serious when you are told 12 days before a tournament starts that you are actually going,' he added.
SA has missed out on a potential US $2million including $1million appearance fee after failing to qualify for next year's FIFA Confederations Cup, The Australian newspaper said.
Sunday's loss added to earlier SA dramas including financial and administrative problems and a failure to overcome Uruguay to reach this year's World Cup finals.
'Australian soccer is left to pick up the shattered pieces of a result that could set the game back years,' The Australian said.
'Make no mistake, the defeat by Australia's arch-rivals is almost as close to a disaster as the game has seen.
'This was supposed to be the first, significant step on the road to salvation on and off the field.'
A pay dispute with the players and a court battle with a marketing partner had placed Australia's participation in the Auckland tournament in doubt last month.
'We can't allow it to go on,' Farina was quoted in The Australian as saying.
'If we can't sort something out then we (the game as a whole) may as well throw our hands in the air and walk away.'
Acting SA chief executive Greg Bates said Farina had been handed 'mission impossible' to win in New Zealand.
'If the administration is in disarray, you cannot win on the field,' Bates was quoted as saying in the Herald Sun newspaper.
'People have to accept responsibility about how we got to this position,' he said.
The Age newspaper said: 'At a time when the public appetite for soccer is at an all-time high following the huge success of the World Cup finals, the game has once more shot itself in the foot.'
New Zealand Herald (www.nzherald.co.nz). Original link: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/sportsstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=2097841&thesection=sport&thesubsection=soccer&thesecondsubsection=general
16.07.2002
Board meetings on both sides of the Tasman on Friday will pitch soccer back into the headlines - for vastly different reasons.
New Zealand Soccer's hierarchy will be able to wallow in the pride of a job well down, appoint coach Mick Waitt for another term and count the cash windfall from the dramatic 1-0 win over Australia on Sunday .
But their down-in-the-mouth Australian counterparts, already facing a bleak future, will have nothing to count.
Not surprisingly, Australian bosses copped it after the humiliating loss to the All Whites at Ericsson Stadium.
One of the more outspoken critics was Soccer Australia's acting chief executive, Greg Bates.
In a story headed "Oh, the shame" looking at Australia's weekend double sporting disaster in New Zealand, Bates said: "[Coach] Frank Farina and his team were not given time or resources to prepare."
This, he said, had resulted in the "humiliation of Soccer Australia".
Asked whether somebody should be made to pay for the debacle, Bates said: "Someone should."
Who?
"I'm not at liberty to say."
Bates acknowledged that the scapegoat might, in the end, be him, because he has called for radical, and unpopular, changes which will be voted on at Soccer Australia's board meeting on Friday.
Farina pointed a finger at an off-field own goal by the code's infamous officials.
"I think we shot ourselves in the foot well and truly this time," fumed Farina.
Summing up the situation, Melbourne Age correspondent Michael Lynch, who was at the Auckland game, said: "Farina has to pick up the pieces.
"Equally important, it [the loss] denies Farina the opportunity to organise meaningful matches in the buildup to the next World Cup.
"Defeat by a team with such a lowly reputation as New Zealand will hardly enhance the prospects of arranging matches against attractive soccer nations."
Lynch said Soccer Australia spent A$270,000 ($310,840) preparing for the tournament.
This was double what New Zealand Soccer put up for their team and they ended up with something to show for it.
Another Australian journalist at the final, the Australian's Ray Gatt, under the heading "Roos crash to new depths", said ... "a defeat which has blown a potential US$1 million ($2.05 million) windfall and plunged the sport in this country into oblivion again.
"Australian soccer is left to pick up the shattered pieces of a result that could set the game back years.
"Make no mistake, the defeat by Australia's arch-rivals is almost as close to a disaster as the game has seen.
"One All Whites fan was overheard to say, 'You have to feel sorry for Australia. They lost the game and they are broke'.
"It doesn't get much worse for Australian soccer."
The newspaper, not forgetting the Bledisloe Cup, asked its readers: "What's worse than the Wallabies being beaten by the All Blacks?
"The Socceroos losing to New Zealand's All Whites."
The Sydney Morning Herald cried: "Oh, the shame ... " in documenting a "miserable weekend for sporting pride on this side of the Tasman".
TheWorldGame.com.au. Original link: http://www2.sbs.com.au/home/index2.php3?id=21210
Tue, Jul 16, 2002 10:50:13 AM AEDT
Socceroos coach Frank Farina has expressed his despair at Australia's Oceania Nations Cup failure and declared to name the strongest possible team for all matches in the future.
Farina and his players returned to Australia with the coach still upset by the shambolic preparations for the tournament, which Soccer Australia did not commit to until just two weeks beforehand.
New Zealand's 1-0 win in Auckland qualified it for next year's Confederations Cup and around $2 million worth of much-needed revenue which cash-strapped Soccer Australia could have done with.
Farina said everyone knew the reasons why the understrength squad came up short and stressed they wouldn't occur again under his reign.
The short preparation time and issues over payment and travelling expenses meant Farina chose only one overseas-based player in his squad for the Oceania Nations Cup.
"I've definitely learnt from it and I've made a couple of recommendations. We send our best team for every game in the future and if we can't send our best team we don't go, it's as simple as that," Farina said at Sydney Airport.
He said he planned to pick the best squad for every game and if players refused to come that would be a matter for Soccer Australia to take up.
Asked how practical and likely it was he would be able to field his strongest team on a regular basis, Farina replied: "very likely".
"I think that's the way you have got to go otherwise things like this happen and you don't want them to be happening," he said.
"At the end of the day the reality is you're not always going to get your best team, but I say we name our best team and we'll see what happens."
While Farina said missing out on next year's Confederations Cup would not have "a major crippling impact on Australian soccer", it was disappointing and he felt Australia had effectively shot itself in the foot.
Farina lamented the missed opportunity of at least three high quality Confederations Cup matches and admitted it would be hard to organise quality games in the immediate future.
"We will be 12 to 18 months virtually in the wilderness and struggling to get fixtures," Farina said.
He thought the Socceroos played well on Sunday until becoming fatigued and didn't regret his decision to stack the side with defenders.
"I take my hat off to the players, I thought they were splendid for the nine days," he said.
"They worked hard, but that's what angers me most now, we've missed out on not only lucrative paydays but a minimum of three quality games."
While the Socceroos had little to look forward to, Farina said he only became more motivated when he got angry.
Australia's only hope of qualifying for the Confederations Cup is if it wins the right to host the event next year.
"From a team perspective and where we wanted to go in getting into the Confederations Cup, I can't see it getting any lower," Farina added.
"There was a lot at stake here as I kept harping on about before the tournament and our worst fears have come true.
"I was expecting to win this.
"I have been asked to work within financial parameters for the betterment of the team within the next four years.
"But when you talk about the Confederations Cup and what it's worth in money and the games you get during that tournament and in the lead-up it is obvious we took the Oceania Cup too lightly in terms of preparation and what we put into it.
"It is just not good enough and we can't allow it to go on. If we can't sort something out then we may as well throw our hands in the air and walk away."
TheWorldGame.com.au. Original link: http://www4.sbs.com.au/home/index2.php3?id=21240
Wed, Jul 17, 2002 09:56:15 AM AEDT
Keen to add insult to injury, Ryan Nelsen, New Zealand's Oceania Nations Cup goal-scoring hero has described the Socceroos as a team "with an inflated opinion of itself".
The 24-year-old, who bagged the 78th-minute winner in the Oceania Nations Cup Final to consign Australian soccer to one of its darkest days, didn’t hold back in his criticism of Frank Farina's team.
"The Australian players thought they were better than they were. Their mental approach was all wrong, and when things didn't go their way they didn't know what to do," he said.
The 1-0 win by the All Whites gave them automatic entry to the rich 2003 Confederations Cup tournament.
Embattled Australian coach Frank Farina said he was fearful over Oceania's prospects of securing an automatic place at future World Cup tournaments with New Zealand representing the area in the Confederations Cup.
"If New Zealand are outclassed then people will turn around and say 'what was all the fuss about. Why should Oceania get direct qualification?'," he said.
But Nelsen said Farina came to New Zealand with a team he thought would win.
"They are barking up now but they weren't doing that beforehand. Australia shot itself in the foot," Nelsen added.
"This New Zealand team is pretty good. I don't think they realised how good.
"We were better prepared, and mentally tougher. Fitness was also a big factor.
"We were much better in the last 20 minutes, and we wanted it (the win) more."
The US-based DC United professional, who has 24 All White caps, dismissed Farina's claim that New Zealand could set back Oceania's aspirations of direct qualification for the World Cup as sour grapes.
New Zealand last qualified for the Confederations Cup in 1998.
"We have been there, and done that. We know what we are in for," Nelsen continued.
"Last time all we wanted to do was be competitive and we achieved that.
"This time we will be looking for results. We have got the experience and the talent to do it."
Nelsen vividly remembered the New Zealand win over a below-strength Australia in 1998 that earned the All Whites Confederations Cup qualification in Mexico.
"They (Australia) said then that it would never happen again, but they quickly forgot," he said.
"There is a bit of arrogance there. I just hope that they don't learn for next time."
Sydney Morning Herald. Original link: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/16/1026802691940.html
July 17 2002
Socceroo coach Frank Farina should stop the finger-pointing and take responsibility for the disastrous loss to New Zealand in the Oceania Nations Cup final, according to Soccer Australia chairman Ian Knop.
Knop last night hit back at Farina's fierce criticism of SA in the aftermath of last Sunday's 1-0 defeat.
"I am disappointed in Frank," Knop said. "Someone has to take responsibility for the failure of the team. I am not a coach, he is a coach.
"He knew all along what was going on and that this organisation was involved in a difficult situation and was trying to put to bed its deal with International Entertainment Corporation.
"He had one job to do and that was to motivate the domestic players who took part, and he failed."
Knop stopped short of threatening to fire Farina, who was reappointed national coach only last December following the World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay.
And Farina certainly does not want to quit. As he stepped off the plane in Sydney on Monday night, he declared how angry he was at the loss and made it clear that the angrier he got the more determined he was to succeed in the job.
But with such a fraught atmosphere between the coach, the chairman and other members of the SA board, there is every chance that there may be a parting of the ways, if not sooner, then later.
Knop, who made it clear he was not prepared to carry the can for the loss, also launched a salvo at overseas-based Socceroos who, he said, should "take a good hard look at themselves" for failing to make themselves available for international matches and tournaments such as the Oceania Nations Cup.
The chairman and his colleagues came in for a storm of criticism from Farina after the defeat by New Zealand, with the coach condemning the lack of funding for the tournament which, he said, had prevented any real preparation, and that a decision to take part had been made only 12 days before the competition kicked off - too late to call up the overseas players he wanted.
But Knop said that for Farina to talk that way was ridiculous, as he had understood the situation before he had agreed to take a team to Auckland.
"He knew all the circumstances [that there wasn't the money to have a proper preparation] three months before it all started," Knop said. "He knew he would have to bring a domestic team.
"Everyone likes to blame Soccer Australia, but there are a few other players at international level who are so-called good Australians who should have a good, hard look at themselves.
"Everyone is scared to say it, but all of these players have gone through our domestic systems, all have come through youth-development programs here. I have a huge level of respect for the players who came and not much respect for those who don't want to play.
"The New Zealand players all came back on economy and played only for a success bonus."
Asked whether his comments were a prelude to a move against Farina, Knop insisted that was not the case. "I am not talking about a knee-jerk reaction and sacking Frank. His position is safe but he needs to realise that he's made a few blunders and he needs to improve in a few areas."
Farina was not prepared to buy back into the row yesterday, although he has made it clear since the defeat that he was prepared to take some of the heat for the loss.
Soccernet.com. Original link: http://www.soccernet.com/global/news/2002/0717/20020717australiafarina.html
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
SYDNEY, July 17 (Reuters) - Soccer Australia (SA) chairman Ian Knop says national coach Frank Farina failed to motivate his players for last Sunday's Oceania Nations Cup final and should stop blaming SA for the 1-0 defeat by New Zealand in Auckland.
Farina, who had only one overseas-based player in his team and was given just 12 days to prepare for the tournament because of SA's financial difficulties, lashed out at the organisation on Monday.
'I am disappointed in Frank,' Knop was quoted as saying in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Wednesday. 'Someone has to take responsibility for the failure of the team. I am not a coach, he is a coach.
'He knew all along what was going on and that this organisation was involved in a difficult situation and was trying to put to bed its deal with (marketing partner) International Entertainment Corporation.
'He had one job to do and that was to motivate the domestic players who took part, and he failed.'
Farina was reappointed as coach in December after Australia lost to Uruguay in the playoff for the final spot in the 2002 World Cup.
The Oceania Nations Cup final defeat by New Zealand cost Australia a place in next year's lucrative FIFA Confederations Cup.
'I am not talking about a knee-jerk reaction and sacking Frank,' Knop said.
'His position is safe but he needs to realise that he's made a few blunders and he needs to improve in a few areas.'
Knop was critical of Australia's elite players who did not make themselves available for the tournament, and said Farina had known for some time about SA's financial problems.
'He (Farina) knew all the circumstances (that there wasn't the money to have proper preparations) three months before it all started,' Knop said.
'He knew he would have to bring a domestic team. Everyone likes to blame Soccer Australia, but there are a few other players at international level who are so-called good Australians who should have a good, hard look at themselves.'
The Melbourne Age (theage.com.au). Original link: http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/07/17/1026898862355.html
July 18 2002
Socceroo captain Steve Horvat yesterday hit out at Kiwi Ryan Nelsen's claim that the Australians had ''an inflated opinion'' of themselves before they lost 1-0 to New Zealand in the Oceania Nations Cup final.
''That's ridiculous and he doesn't know what he's talking about,'' the Melbourne Knights and Australia centre-half said.
Nelson, who scored the decisive goal in last Sunday's final, had been reported as saying the Socceroos ''thought they were better than they are'' and ''didn't know what to do'' when things didn't go their way.
Said Horvat: ''We had nothing to do with them apart from the 90 minutes on the pitch, and if anything, we only ever said that New Zealand were the favourites for the tournament because of their superior preparation. Not once did we say they were not good enough.
''If anything, we showed a lot more character than they did. Players came and played and trained for nothing and showed a lot of fighting spirit. They called on all their best resources from far and wide and were only just able to beat us.''
As the fallout from the Socceroos' defeat continued, further details about the team's poor preparation - and the availability of overseas-based players - emerged yesterday.
Up to half-a-dozen expatriates - including striker Archie Thompson, forward Sasho Petrovski, youngster Luke Wilkshire and regular Socceroo David Zdrillic - had either returned to Australia for holidays or had offered to pay their own way home to play.
But because Soccer Australia did not confirm the Socceroos' participation until just 12 days before the Oceania tournament kicked off, they could not keep hanging around on the off-chance they would be needed, especially when their clubs were calling them about pre-season training.
Socceroo coach Frank Farina has been criticised for taking a defensive approach to the final - he used five centre halves/sweepers plus two defenders - but with a dearth of midfielders among the 18 who travelled to New Zealand he had little option. Neither Olympic Sharks midfielder Tommy Pondeljak nor Newcastle's Robbie Middleby had been overly impressive in some of the earlier games, and Marconi's Angelo Costanzo, normally a sweeper, did little wrong in a holding midfield role.
Farina also had little luck with alternative locally based midfielders. Brad Maloney, a former National Soccer League player of the year, withdrew, while Perth's Matt Horsley had ruled himself out long before the tournament. The Sharks' creative fulcrum, Troy Halpin, was keen to play, but had not fully recovered from surgery after missing the grand final. His youthful teammate Wayne Srhoj had also had an operation, while South Melbourne's Steve Panopoulos withdrew for personal reasons.
South's mercurial talent Con Boutsianis refused to be involved because there were no payments, while Olympic's Andrew Packer opted to go to Europe for trials instead.
Australia's World Cup captain Paul Okon is also being criticised for not taking part. Farina didn't ask him to be part of the squad - even though he was back in Australia - because he felt he was not fit enough. Okon is no longer involved with either Middlesbrough or Watford in England and obviously lacked match sharpness, but so did many of the NSL veterans who were asked to come back into training in June in case a team was sent to New Zealand.
Could Okon not have worked to get himself into some kind of shape and joined the party? At the very least he would have increased his fitness, which would have helped his pursuit of a new club in Europe. And he would have provided what this squad lacked - a genuinely creative central midfielder.