Football

Given very little separated Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory throughout the regular and post seasons, it was perhaps fitting last night’s A-League championship decider went to penalties, and perhaps even more fitting it went to the team that finished first past the post.
A hundred and twenty minutes of attritional, confrontational, energy sapping football ultimately couldn’t [...] Read article

Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick was left frustrated that Sydney FC were not penalised more heavily for a string of “blatant professional fouls” in Saturday night’s A-League grand final.
The Sky Blues won a epic match 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Etihad Stadium after the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Merrick [...] Read article

Melbourne Victory’s star striker Archie Thompson is facing up to 12 months on the sidelines after a serious knee injury destroyed his, and the club’s, A-League grand final.
Thompson was stretchered off after 12 minutes following a challenge from Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo – a strong but fair tackle after which the striker landed awkwardly [...] Read article

Let me be clear: while Sydney might be the traditional soul of Australian football, these days Melbourne is its home. On November 16th 2005 history was made at Sydney’s ANZ stadium when the Socceroos qualified for the 2006 World Cup.
Yet, football only truly arrived on the domestic stage 18 months later with Melbourne’s hosting [...] Read article

The World Cup in South Africa has helped FIFA’s revenues past the billion dollar mark for the first time, football’s governing body said on Friday.
“We are very confident, not only confident but very proud, that we can deliver the World Cup to Africa and that Africa can deliver the World Cup to the world,” Blatter [...] Read article

FIFA said on Friday that Indonesian bid leaders missed a deadline to produce the required government guarantees to back the project.
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says “Indonesia is not any more a candidate for 2022.”
Indonesia was always considered the outsider of the 11 original candidates which applied to host the tournament in 2018 or 2022.
Indonesia [...] Read article

Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick has issued a grand final eve plea to skipper Kevin Muscat – play on for one more A-League season.
Muscat may be headed into his last A-League appearance in Saturday night’s grand final against Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium.
The 36-year-old is weighing up whether to go on for another year, or [...] Read article

Sydney FC look set to reward young defender Sebastian Ryall and start him against the club he won a championship with last year in this season’s A-League grand final.
Ryall looks increasingly likely to keep his starting 11 place ahead of fit-again Socceroo Shannon Cole at right-back for the clash with Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium.
Ryall [...] Read article

Socceroos great Mark Viduka is considering playing in the A-League, saying he is “in two minds” about whether to return to the game.
Viduka has not played in 10 months, walking away from several European offers at the start of this season and the Socceroos’ World Cup campaign for a hiatus from the sport.
But the 34-year-old [...] Read article

With both Asian Champions League places for the 2011 tournament sewn up for Australia’s participants, there has been much debate surrounding the worth of an A-League Grand Final with virtually ‘nothing’ at stake.
However, in this fledgling young competition that is Australia’s A-League, a Grand Final is essential. It provides the sport with a showcase, a [...] Read article

Permiership window might be a term thrown about far more liberally in other codes, but the concept is certainly worthy of consideration ahead of Saturday’s A-League grand final.
Especially, given the events of the past week when it comes to Sydney FC.
Since it won its way into the decider at the expense of brave Wellington last [...] Read article

The news that Sydney FC defender Simon Colosimo looks set to move to the K-League comes as no real surprise. The veteran defender harbours World Cup ambitions, but unless he finds himself a club for the next three months, he won’t be on the plane to South Africa.
Colosimo has been courted by South Korean [...] Read article

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has warned that the league will not take a back step to soccer if Australia hosts the World Cup.
In a speech at Thursday night’s official season launch, Demetriou has made it clear that the AFL will not let soccer dictate terms if the bid to host the cup is successful.
Earlier [...] Read article

Melbourne Victory have turned to Melbourne Storm’s NRL premiership skipper Cameron Smith for advice ahead of Saturday night’s A-League grand final against Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium.
Smith, who has captained the Storm to two NRL titles, including last season’s win over Parramatta, spoke ahead of Thursday’s training session.
“It was fantastic, he’s a well respected guy, [...] Read article

Football Federation Australia boss Ben Buckley has squashed any suggestion of a caretaker Socceroos coach for next January’s Asia Cup finals, should incumbent Pim Verbeek not continue beyond the World Cup later this year.
Dutchman Verbeek has deflected all media questions about his future, though there have been reports he would not look to carry on [...] Read article