Doha: Forget tactics. Forget ‘Aussie DNA’. Forget the underdog mentality. The real ace up the Socceroos’ sleeve, the true difference-maker that could bring the absolute best out of them in Qatar? Coffee.
You’d think in the Middle East, the home of the ubiquitous Arabica bean, it would be easy enough to find a decent cup of the brown stuff. Take it from the Herald after four days of searching high and low: it’s an ongoing mission.
These days, Australians have impossibly high standards when it comes to coffee. Let’s put it bluntly: we’re absolute snobs. The idea of sating ourselves at a Starbucks or a Costa Coffee outlet, which are everywhere in this part of the world, is deeply objectionable to any true-born Aussie. Our cafe culture is now world-famous, and there are Australian-owned and operated coffee shops sprinkled around the world that have become precious sanctuaries for expats.
But there’s a World Cup that’s about to start, the stakes are enormously high, and the Socceroos are refusing to take any chances. Sport at this level is all about the one-percenters. So they’ve done the only sensible thing they could do, and flown in their own barista for a little taste of home.
With thanks to Toby’s Estate, every player from Graham Arnold’s 26-man squad can grab a strong flat white or a soy macchiato whenever they want at their lavish Aspire Academy base, safe in the knowledge that it will pass muster.
It’s a move ripped straight from the playbook of the Australian Olympic team, who did the same thing at Tokyo 2020, and really, it’s the only way to ensure everyone wakes up on the right side of the bed, and in the right frame of mind to perform at an optimal level.
Socceroos striker Mitchell Duke enjoys a fresh cup of the brown stuff at the team’s Aspire Academy base.Credit:Football Australia
Arnold wants “11 boxing kangaroos” on the pitch, not 11 lethargic whingers. This is how he gets them.
“On a general camp, you’re having to wait in a line of about 10 for the button coffee from the machine, which is good, but it’s nice to have the barista there. She’s definitely got a line-up at breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said Adelaide United winger Craig Goodwin.
There is an eclectic mix of orders within the squad. For example, Fran Karacic, who plays for Italian club Brescia, is an espresso guy. Sounds about right.
There are rumours of a so-called ‘magic coffee’, apparently a mix between a latte and a cortado, which is proving popular among the Melbourne-based contingent led by Jamie Maclaren. “I’m keen to give it a try,” said Riley McGree.
“I’m an oat flat white,” said Sunderland defender Bailey Wright, another Melbourne boy, which … makes sense. “But we’re trying different oat milks now because you can’t quite master which oat milk’s the one.”
For some, though, all this highfalutin’ coffee talk is a bit too much.
Australia’s team barista is working overtime in Doha.Credit:Football Australia
“I won’t name names, but I’ll give you a state,” said defender Kye Rowles when asked which teammate was at risk of taking the whole coffee thing a bit too seriously.
“Victorians.”
In truth, it’s more than just a simple creature comfort for the Socceroos. They’ve already got everything they need at the all-encompassing Aspire Academy, the $1.3 billion facility funded by the Qatari government which opened in 2004 and is the centrepiece of the gas-rich state’s high-performance sporting project.
They eat, sleep, train and rehab there, and in their downtime, players gather for FIFA, Call of Duty and foosball tournaments.
But nothing brings them all together and cements the team’s strong sense of camaraderie like a solid cup of coffee and a good yarn.
“People connect over coffee and food, and I think it’s a real social thing – it sounds crazy, like we’ve got a little cafe, it sounds like we’re spoiled. We are spoiled, I’m not going to lie,” Wright said. “It’s just a little highlight. Every day, people are in there socialising together and really get to know each other, and I think that’s really important as a group.”
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