What is the Socceroos’ greatest football rivalry?
Roar Guru By dasilva, 3 Nov 2008 dasilva is a Roar Guru
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- Asian Champions League, Australia A, Champions League, Japan, Lucas, Lucas Neill, South Korea, Vince Grella, World Cup, World Cup qualifier
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Is it England? We all love to beat them. And that 3-1 victory sure was sweet. But what about Japan? The World Cup match was epic. We also faced them in the Asian Cup and Asian Champions League, and there’s always great competition between two regional powerhouses.
And then there’s Iran.
Anyone who saw ‘that match’ in 1997 is waiting for the day to get revenge. Only when we eliminate Iran from the World Cup Qualifiers will we ever exorcise that ghost.
South Korea?
In the 1974 World Cup qualifier, Australia was 2-0 down, but then came back to equalise. Australia did ‘an Iran’ over the South Koreans and that was their equivalent of that national disaster.
That playoff series was just as bad to South Koreans as what the Iran match was for Australia.
However, all that said, I think our greatest rival is Iraq.
Here’s a history to suggest why:
1. Australia send occupying forces to Iraq in 2003. You can’t have great rivalries without politics and it’s even better when war is involved.
2. Iraq played Oman in the first match of the Asia Cup. When Iraq scored the first goal, the players started hopping like Kangaroos. Already they were taking the piss out of Australia
3. When Iraq scored a goal against Australia, they went to the Australian crowd section and started taunting the fans.
4. Lucas Neill was getting incredibly frustrated (along with many Australian fans) with the diving and time wasting antics of the Iraq national team and started complaining to the referee about it. This got him sent off for dissent.
5. Mark Shield gave Captain, Younis Mahmood, a yellow card for diving in the Asia Cup final, which caused Younis Mahmood to threaten to lead his team off the pitch out of protest. Mark Shield called his bluff and just said go ahead. Hell, there’s even animosity between Iraq team and our Australian referee.
6. Nashad Akram, the star Iraqi player, in an interview with The World Game after the Asia Cup accused Australian players of arrogance and ignorance of Asian culture. He also accused us of complacency and underestimating the opposition. He claimed that Australia did not give the Iraqi team enough respect.
7. Vince Grella then accused the Iraq team (along with other Asian teams) of not giving the Socceroos respect. He complains about Iraqi hopping like kangaroos and taunting our fans and said that the Iraqi team were taking the piss out of our country.
8. Iraqi FA charged Australian fans twenty times more than Arab speaking fans, enraging every Socceroos fan.
9. Every match between Australia and Iraq at senior and Olympic levels has been competitive and a good stoush between two evenly match team. There’s no match where one side has been outclassed.
This has all the elements of an intense rivalry.
To the Iraqi people, Australia may be one of the sides they want to beat the most (along with the USA, Iran, and perhaps Kuwait). It ticks all the boxes for a good rivalry: it has politics, animosity from fans, a war of words between the players of the two teams, and evenly matched encounters.
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November 3rd 2008 @ 11:51am
Millster said | November 3rd 2008 @ 11:51am | Report comment
We also have to remember of course that while Japan is now a friend, and part of the network of US allies in the pacific, if we’re going to bring wartime rivalry into it then Japan and Australia also have some ‘form’ and ‘history’. Many of our older generations certainly have wounded memories to do with that nation, and I’m sure its the same at the Japanese end. So military history is certainly a part of that dynamic…
November 3rd 2008 @ 12:04pm
dasilva said | November 3rd 2008 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
true tah
i agree. I enjoy Iraqi Asian Cup performance and would have like to see them qualify to the world cup. I wasn’t happy when Iraq were eliminated especially when it turn out that Qatari cheated. I also wasn’t too displease when australia lost to Iraq. i would have love to see Iraq in our group instead of Qatar. it would have been far more interesting match then the drubbing to Qatar.
Japan and WWII
It was a long time ago and we actually had a half-japanese playing for Australia (Alan Davidson)
Because japan never successfully invaded australia and commit mass genocide (although they did treat Australian prisoners really poorly) the tension between Australia and japan isn’t as bad as it is with Japan and china/vietnam/korea etc. I don’t believe it will be too much of a factor.
it reminds me of the friendship cup between Australia and Turkey in Australia where we had a history back to WWI. The match was played in mostly good spirits but the Japanese ref expected a fiery encounter due to history back in WWI and Galipoli and was extremely overzealous dishing out cards after cards when in reality there was no tension between the two sides. i think Australia relationship with all people involve in WWI and WWII are pretty good and that includes Germany, Italy, Japan and Turkey. Perhaps the older generation may habour grudges but thankfully this doesn’t seen to pass over to the younger generations.
November 3rd 2008 @ 12:35pm
Grant said | November 3rd 2008 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Are we talking who australia would most love to see the socceroos defeat on the football pitch? I dont think football fans in australia care too much about our country’s war/political history when it comes to football matches, maybe more so for european countries and rivalries.
In terms of who australian football fans/any australian would love to see the socceroos defeat on the football pitch, it would have to be Italy, they opened up a fresh new wound, right next to the old scabby Iran one from years before, when they knocked us out of the WC. To see the italian team in tears after the socceroos deated them in a world cup knock out match would be like the detol bath that the socceroos infected pussy wounds need.
November 3rd 2008 @ 9:21pm
Joe FC said | November 3rd 2008 @ 9:21pm | Report comment
nice article dasilva. I think Japan is the one most likely to meet the criteria of greatest rival. However like just about every other Australian football fan I’m looking forward to the opportunity to knock Iran out of the WC.
November 3rd 2008 @ 10:49pm
Westy said | November 3rd 2008 @ 10:49pm | Report comment
Never ever forget what the butchers did to Ray Baartz.. do not forget our football history with a manufactured one ….always always beat Uruguay………no one else has ever intentionally drowned out the national anthem or spat us on arrival……and it was so good they missed the last World Cup………….Been there done that…..easy to dislike in a football context …they have no respect for Australian football and still offer excuses for their mishap.
November 3rd 2008 @ 11:20pm
dasilva said | November 3rd 2008 @ 11:20pm | Report comment
Yes Westy, me omitting out Uruguay was a big mistake. I do know a bit of Australian football history and the story of ray baartz is always shocking to read. Although I wrote this article concentrating mosty on Asian nations as they are the nations we will play the most. Perhaps I should have titled it as biggest rivalry in Asia instead.
Perhaps I was wrong with having Iraq as number one as I later point out it is a one sided rivalry (although Westy, It is certainly is not a manufactured rivalry. To the Iraqi it seems deadly serious). However I will still say that Iraq more than any other country in the world are determine to beat Australia. So they must be up there in the top 5 at least.
November 4th 2008 @ 12:28am
Major Spliff Biggins said | November 4th 2008 @ 12:28am | Report comment
Perhaps its the Anglo Celtic heart that beats in my chest; but nothing stirs me more than beating the English at their own game.
The arrogance of their fans; their puerile, hyperbolic newspaper tabloids and the overrated and overhyped national team make them a pefect rival.
The fact that we have a long in rich history competing in a variety of other sports adds to the mix, but as evidenced by the Olympics, the British measure their sporting prowess on their performances against us.
A display to match that night in Upton Park would bring a smile to any Socceroos fan, especially on the bigger stage (World Cup).
November 4th 2008 @ 9:15am
dasilva said | November 4th 2008 @ 9:15am | Report comment
Yeah, I would love Australia to meet England at the World Cup. It just that I took in consideration the likelihood of playing against the opposition in a competitive match as a factor therefore ruling out England and Uruguay. Should I?
November 4th 2008 @ 9:51am
Millster said | November 4th 2008 @ 9:51am | Report comment
Can someone provide a better description of the Ray Baartz issue?
November 4th 2008 @ 10:35am
dasilva said | November 4th 2008 @ 10:35am | Report comment
Australia qualified to the World Cup in 1974. They played a series of warm up matches against Uruguay at home. They drew the first match 0-0 but they dominated the match but Uruguay got frustrated and resorted to foul play as they didn’t like being hold up by a upstart nobodies like Australia which set the scene for the second match.
in the second match at the 25th minute our best player Ray Baartz going for a header got karaate chop at the neck by a Uruguay defender. He collapse to the ground unable to breathe and had to be revived by the team doctor. The blow struck his artery that became swollen and close.
At half time he declared himself fit to play (probably a big mistake). He ended up scoring the first goal in what was describe as the best goal by a Soccerroos by Rale Rasic (controlled a pass, turn and shot from 25 m out which rocket to the back of the net). Later on the match he ended up getting punch in the face by another player as well which got the player send off. the Uruguay player tried to deceive the ref by having a team mate punch the player nose making his nose so he can pretend to the referee that Ray Baartz punch him in the nose and that he was only retaliating in self defence. Australia ended up winning the match 2-0
After the match the carotid artery completely closed and he suffer a stroke he was then sent to hospital and began a battle to save his life. he was in a coma for a week or so. He end up recovering but was told he would never be able to play professional football again ending his career and missing out on the 1974 World Cup that he help australia to qualify to.
Absolute tragic football story and that’s where the rivalry against Uruguay begun