It’s the hot topic the Socceroos won’t be able to escape in Qatar, for at least a little while yet it seems.
Australia’s players made worldwide headlines with their video protest made against the World Cup hosts nations’ human rights record and anti-homosexuality laws.
It is the strongest stance taken by any of the competing 32 nations so far and as Australian players continue to arrive in Doha they are facing questions on the issue from the world’s international football media.
Striker Mitch Duke fronted a media conference at the Socceroos’ training base on Monday afternoon. The first question that came his way was from a British journalist asking what a measure of success would be for Australia’s players in Qatar after they called for further action.
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Duke, one of the players to appear in the video, refused to delve into the matter again, however.
“To be honest I think we timed things well with what we said. We’ve done that purposefully before we all came into camp because our main priority now once we turned up was just focusing on the football side of things,” Duke said.
“So what we said in that video was covered, what should be heard, and now we’re just really here to focus on football. It’s not really spoken about now. We’ve got a certain job at hand to represent Australia at a World Cup so that’s basically our main priority.
Pressed again, Duke said: “like I said, everything’s been said in the video.”
It came after France captain Hugo Lloris said earlier on Monday there was “too much pressure” on players to speak out against the host nation.
Lloris, who will lead France into battle against the Socceroos next Wednesday (AEDT), agreed with FIFA’s stance that teams should now focus on football and also shared a sentiment made by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp that it was now a case of too little, too late.
“Honestly, I agree (with FIFA’s sentiment],” Lloris said. “There’s too much pressure on the players. We are at the bottom of the chain.
“If you have to apply pressure, first of all it had to be 10 years ago. Now it’s too late. You have to understand that for players this opportunity happens every four years and you want every chance to succeed. The focus has to be on the field. The rest is for politicians. We are athletes.”
CAHILL JUST CAN’T HELP HIMSELF
Socceroos legend Tim Cahill has made a surprise return to the training pitch in a surreal moment for some of Australia’s current World Cup stars.
Graham Arnold is still waiting for the final five members of his squad to arrive, with Tuesday night’s (AEDT) training session to be the first with the full 26-man squad.
When it comes to filing in the numbers it’s impossible to think of a better ring-in the Australia’s greatest ever goalscorer Cahill, who works at Australia’s World Cup base, the Aspire Academy.
Cahill didn’t need to be asked twice to join in training on Sunday night and was again buzzing about on the pitch ahead of Monday’s session, with one senior Socceroos staffer joking the legend simply couldn’t help himself.
Duke, who is rated a strong chance to start up front against France, was pinching himself.
“Mate, he’s awesome,” Duke said. “For me being a striker myself, he’s given me some great pointers and helping me prepare, to get that kind of one-on-one time with such a legend is priceless.
“I’m definitely soaking it all in and trying to learn as much as I can
“… He‘s a very much a natural leader. He gives advice, it spills out of his mouth. I don’t think he can help it . He just loves it. He loves the game. He’s obviously a very proud Aussie himself and he is still fit enough to kick about as well, which is awesome.”
STAR SIDELINED AS INJURY CLOUD HOVERS
Scottish-born winger Martin Boyle was one of the early arrivals into camp but he was a notable absence from Monday’s training session as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
While 20 Socceroos players were put through their paces on a breezy Doha evening, Boyle remained in the rehab room. The Hibernian star’s tournament was thrown into doubt after suffering a knee injury in Hibernian’s 3-0 win over St Mirren last week.
His absence from training was likely just precautionary as Arnold eases him into action in Qatar, with Boyle’s Scottish club last week warning he may have to play through the pain barrier at the tournament.
KIT NERD IRVINE GOES VIRAL WITH V-BOMBER CLASSIC
Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine is renowned as a bit of a kit nerd and he certainly made an impression on his arrival into Doha.
The 29-year-old touched down wearing a classic 1998/99 Celtic home jersey with ‘Viduka 36’ printed on the back.
Irvine, who spent three seasons at Celtic but now plays at St. Pauli in Germany, described it as a “classic” with Scottish press picking up on the homage to big ‘Dukes – who scored 30 goals in 37 appearances for the club – and the Socceroos’ post attracting more than 3500 likes.
FRANCE ADD SON OF LEGEND TO SQUAD
Marcus Thuram, the son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian, has been added to Didier Deschamps’ France squad, AFP reports according to a French Football Federation source.
The 25-year-old Borussia Moenchengladbach striker, who is the 26th and final pick for the defending champions, has played four internationals, winning his most recent cap at last year’s Euro 2020 tournament.
Thuram has scored 10 goals in the Bundesliga this season and is second in the goalscoring charts in Germany.
Lilian Thuram was one of the star players in a France team captained by Deschamps that won the 1998 World Cup.
Deschamps last week selected 25 of a possible 26 players for the tournament in Qatar, where France will attempt to become the first team to defend their World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.
