South American giant on Socceroos' wish list

Brazil, Argentina or perhaps England are on the Socceroos’ wish list for a farewell match at the MCG next May before they depart for the World Cup finals in South Africa.

The venue was announced on Thursday although date and the opposition team has yet to be decided.

It is part of a deal between the Victorian Government and Football Federation Australia (FFA), which will also have the Socceroos playing World Cup qualifiers in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013.

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said while they needed to wait on other confederations to complete their qualifying competitions, attracting a strong South American team seemed a realistic option.

“It’s certainly an option and a good option and probably one that doesn’t hinder the travel schedule as much as some others,” Buckley said.

“So I think there’s a realistic chance a team from South America could come to play.”

Asked about the possibility of playing Australia’s traditional sporting enemy England, Buckley said it would be an exciting prospect, but was uncertain if the travel logistics would allow it.

“We’d love to have them here, it would be a fantastic match,” he said.

“I’m not sure if the MCG would actually be big enough to host that match.”

He said the FFA would focus on “as big name teams as possible”.

“But at the moment it’s a little unclear given the qualification phase in Europe and South America hasn’t been completed yet,” he said.

Socceroos captain Lucas Neill said it was “vital” the team faced tough opposition in the lead up to the World Cup, given their smooth path qualifying through Asia.

“Because we’ve been unbeaten for quite some time it’s important that we get asked questions in the preparation for the World Cup because it’s never going to be this smooth sailing forever,” Neill said.

“We’re actually looking to play against teams now that on paper it looks like we’re going to lose.”

He was hopeful of Brazil or Argentina as the farewell game opposition.

Neill was glad to be playing the match in Melbourne, where 69,238 turned up to watch Wednesday night’s dead rubber against Japan, which Australia won 2-1.

The MCG was also the venue for the Socceroos’ farewell match for the last World Cup, in 2006, when a record 95,103 fans watched them beat Greece 1-0.

The Socceroos already have friendly games scheduled against Ireland in Limerick in August and Holland in October in Sydney.

Neill said the Holland match in particular would provide the stern test his team was seeking.